The Killing Moon
by AmaranthEternity
Summary: Rated M for adult themes ! Arriving in Nibel after the disappearances of the Turks, Elena begins searching for answers. She encounters Vincent for the first time since the Northern Crater, and discovers more than just answers.
1. Our End

Most stories start at the beginning, and run through to the end… I want to tell this one differently. Instead of telling you the beginning first, I want to say what happened mere moments ago, and explain why I now kneel here in the darkness, with her lifeless body in my arms. I would never have thought that I would cry for her. Not for one second…but that was then, and this is now. Now, when I stare down at her face and demand: "Why?". Now, when I feel that unfamiliar damp sensation on my cheeks that I believe they call 'tears'…. it had been so long since I had last cried, that I had almost forgotten what it felt like. I had no desire to remember, either.

How I wished that she would just open her eyes to look at me, or just tell me that it's all right. I had never needed such reassurance before, but now was an exception. I had done what I could to try and keep her here, but those attempts were futile. Although, somewhere deep inside we both knew this, I still did what I could for her. I won't forget her last word…my name. Said with apology, sadness and pain all at once. Her hand had reached out for mine, as though begging for support and aid. Her face…Usually so pain free and content, was tear stained, as her teeth clenched in pain that she refused to express, and her eyes filled with desperation that I had never seen since I had found her close to death in the crater. It was only when those beautiful eyes slid closed that I knew that I could no longer help her this time…

The agony, and the strength she was determined to show…it was all the same…Right down to the bloodstained uniform, and her white- blonde hair – usually brushed back so tidily- which had fallen across her face, hiding a small stream of blood that trickled from the corner of her mouth, and dripped from her chin to make a small crimson stain on the collar of her shirt. Kneeling here now, I can still remember how I had been reunited with her only approximately two years after the events with Kadaj…more pain came from knowing that these moments with her –however terrible- would soon come to an end. Her body would fade away into the Lifestream as she returned to the planet…I would be left alone again. Solitude. Silence I could use to remember my sin. A new sin…a new punishment to suffer. The usual agony left behind after losing one so precious would serve as my punishment. But please, do not misunderstand. Do not for one moment mistake me as the victim. I failed to protect her…and so it is indeed my fault that this happened to her. In return, to live will be my punishment until the day that I am freed. Granted the forgiveness that I am unworthy of, and definitely do not deserve... for now, all I can do is wait for her to be taken from me by the Lifestream, and feel my heart rip in two…for waiting is always the absolute worst…


	2. Vincent 1

I hadn't seen rain like this for a long time…it rapped angrily against the window like an impatient visitor, longing to enter. The sky was a miserable gray color, and I just knew that there was going to be thunder coming. Safely inside the darkness of my own room at the small inn, I just watched the deserted streets below, and wiped the mist from the usually clear glass of the window. Moments passed, before a familiar mix of colors caught my attention. Black…the Turk uniform, to be specific…and short white blonde hair. What was she doing here…? It was rare for a Turk to come to a place such as Nibel, and especially alone…Eventually, curiosity got the better of me, and I moved away from the window. Turning the handle and opening the door of my room, I locked it behind me and made my way out of the building. Soon enough, I found myself out there in the pouring rain, and a short distance away from the female Turk that I immediately recognized as Elena. I recognized her so quickly because like me, the years that had passed had not changed her very much since our last encounter.

Apparently, she had noticed me leave the inn, seeing as she had immediately turned away and pretended she hadn't seen me. She was completely drenched, but she didn't seem to care, and was doing an impressive job of ignoring the heavy rain.

"Elena." I heard myself call to her, only to have her pretend she hadn't heard. Well, I suppose that wasn't surprising…we had, on several occasions, previously tried to kill each other after all, but I had thought after 'the incidents' of two years ago (during which we had made an alliance of sorts) she would overlook it. Apparently I was wrong in thinking that. I could have left it alone, but there were certain questions that I felt deserved answers, and besides: Turk or not, I couldn't leave her out here on her own, for the sake of her health.

"Elena." I muttered, after approaching the young blonde. Feeling that talking wasn't going to get her to look at me, I gently placed one hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Surprised, she pulled away as though I had burnt her, and turned to face me. She looked as though someone had attempted to drown her…although, for all I knew, perhaps they had. Her usually pale complexion had become even paler –if possible- and was almost as light as my own…as well as this, her usually light blonde hair had darkened from the rain water, and was in wet clumps which were sticking to her cheeks. Only raising an eyebrow in questioning, Elena said nothing. I felt that standing out here in the rain might not be the best idea, as she was already soaking wet.

"Come with me."

"Why?" she demanded defensively. I will pause here for a moment just to appreciate how she looked at that very moment: blinking her honey colored eyes once as drops of water dripped from the ends of her hair and ran down her pale face. She soon wiped these away with an equally pale, wet hand, leaving a large streak of moisture on her cheek and more rain on her face than there had been to begin with, though she didn't seem to care... anyway… the tone of her voice had suggested that she suspected I was planning to kidnap her, or something similar. Well, with a job like hers, you can't take any chances whatsoever. I would know…

"Otherwise you're going to end up catching something…" I tried to persuade her, but she wasn't having any of it. I had forgotten just how stubborn she could be…

"I won't." I was beginning to get the impression that she didn't want to talk to me, but even so, I found myself taking a firm hold on her arm. This may have shocked her, and was an involuntary action on my part. Either way, if I were to pretend that the action was intentional, it had the desired effect. That being…it kept her attention on me rather than on any possible escape plans that may have been running through her mind at the time.

"If you won't come voluntarily, then I'm going to have to make you. Trust me, Elena…you'll get ill, and then you'll really end up regretting this.". It was then that a peculiar thought struck me: why was I worrying so much over her? She was nothing to do with me, after all. It was a mystery to me, and probably a mystery to her, too, as she tilted her head and held a blank expression, as if to ask: 'So?'. Her eyebrow raised and a look of suspicion appeared on her face, before she demanded:

"Was that a threat, Valentine…?"

Believe it or not, I hadn't intended it to be threatening at all. I had just been explaining that she would end up regretting her actions …though I can see where she would have gotten the idea that I had tried to threaten her. I was holding her arm rather firmly and trying to force her to come with me against her will, after all.

Turning back in the direction of the building I had come from, I held her arm tightly and ignored her protests as I led her back to the inn. I had decided against answering her question, as it may just have made matters worse.

Minutes later, she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms folded, and a sour expression on her face. As far as I was concerned, she could keep that look. I didn't care what she had been doing out there, but she wasn't leaving until I had made sure that she was healthy, and I had asked her some questions.

Allowing a small sigh to escape me, I entered the bathroom, and took a towel from the rail in the corner of the room. I allowed my gaze to move up the cream colored wall, to the mirror that hung before me. "…". Giving a small "Hmph….", I soon turned and left the room, approaching the wardrobe and taking out one of my spare shirts. My attention soon returned to Elena, who had been watching me walk around, and was now glancing at the two items in my hands. As I held them out to her, her light brown eyes studied the white towel, before her gaze moved to the shirt, and soon fixed on me in slight disbelief and confusion.

"The towel I understand…but what am I supposed to do with the shirt?" the blonde asked me, but I assumed that the look in my eyes told me that she already knew the answer. Had I not been trying so hard to gain her trust, I would have let her know just how foolish her question had sounded. It was all I could do to hold in any sarcastic comments and thoughts that entered my head at that precise moment.

"…Put it on."

"…You're kidding."

Well, I couldn't seem to be capable of controlling my tongue for long. Something that she and I apparently had in common. I ended up letting one snide remark slip, though soon after it made me realize quite how serious she was when it came to jokes aimed at her intelligence. Looking back, I suppose it was a rather cheap shot for me to take at her, and the reaction I received was deserved, if not called for:

"No, Elena. I'm actually serious. How many other uses can you think of for a shirt…?" I questioned, with something that felt a bit like a smirk. Soon remembering my plan to gain her trust, I immediately hid the smirk, and cleared my throat. Apparently she hadn't appreciated my comment very much, as she was glaring at me with one eyebrow raised. (Looking back now, I can't blame her.) _A short temper, a right hook and a stubborn, argumentative attitude, a gun...oh…and a merciless tongue of poison from time to time… such a charming girl… _I thought sarcastically, before feeling a pang of guilt_. Actually, that's rather cruel, though…she __has__ been out in the rain for quite a long time and on top of that, has just been pretty much kidnapped by someone from the opposite 'side'…I guess it's only natural that she'd be in a bad mood… _I thought, casting a sympathetic look in her direction. It seemed that this was what snapped what little of her already severed temper she had left, and she soon made this clear.

"Spare me the sympathies, Valentine. I'm not some kinda retard, no matter how much you want to believe so. Oh…. And as for more uses for a shirt? Well, I can think of one, but you wouldn't like it very much…I'll leave you to figure out what it is." I heard her snarl. There was that irresistible 'charm' of hers showing itself again…oh, I knew perfectly well what she meant by 'another use for the shirt'…and it was nothing a lady should say. Then again, Elena was far from 'ladylike'. She was a Turk.

It seemed that I could only keep getting it wrong. Placing one hand against my forehead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and couldn't help but think: _I_ _wonder how Tseng puts up with her…_

"Just put it on, will you…?" I finally muttered to her, shaking my head. "It's only until your uniform dries."

"What? No way…I'm not…and I mean NOT gonna wear that in front of you!" she snapped as she swiftly got to her feet and turned away from me.

"Either you put this on and are free to leave by tomorrow should you wish to, or…you get ill and spend the time it takes for you to recover in that bed…which means that _I_ would have to take care of you." I figured that this would persuade her, as she was showing signs of wanting to get away from me, and was obviously quite uncomfortable.

"Oh, what a saint you are!" she hissed scathingly, giving a sigh, getting up and snatching the shirt from me, with a reluctant and heated agreement of: "Fine…Damn you, Valentine…" she took the towel from me and entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind her, before locking it. As she had passed by me, she had been grumbling under her breath, and I had distinctly heard the word: 'pervert'. It had only been a few minutes since I had brought her in, but already it seemed like hours had gone by…by now, I pitied Tseng. I truly did.

Almost fifteen minutes had passed, and Elena hadn't come back. I knew that it could take a female quite some time to get changed, but this was ridiculous.

"Elena?" I called to her as I sat on the bed, watching the bathroom door. I was getting a nasty suspicion that she may have found some way to escape without me realizing. Part of me somewhat hoped that she had…no matter what I had hoped, I was wrong, however, and I felt two feelings at once. Part of me sighed in relief, and the other part of me felt a pang of disappointment at the fact that I would still have to put up with her.

"What?"

"Elena, do you plan to remain in there forever?"

"No…. just…until my uniform is dry. I'm watching it right now!" Elena replied, followed by a small: "Yup…"

For some reason, this comment caused a small chuckle to escape me. She had sounded almost…innocent in what she had said, rather than her former fierce and argumentative self.

"Elena…Just come out. Put your uniform on the radiator." I suggested, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed. "You're going to be in there for hours…"

Apparently, the idea of this wasn't so appealing to her, as I heard the lock give a faint click, and the door slowly opened. The blonde was standing in the doorway, and the shirt I had given her was too big, so the bottom of it fell past her waist by only a little. Her slender figure seemed lost in the shirt that was much too big for her, which made her look even thinner. The window in the bathroom was on the wall directly behind her, and through it flooded the evening's light. Although it wasn't too bright, the light created the illusion of a heavenly glow surrounding the female Turk…I quickly realized that I was staring, so soon looked away. She hadn't seemed to notice me staring at her, as she didn't so much as look at me. Instead, she turned to face the radiator that was against the wall next to bathroom door.

"If you hadn't been nice to me, and I didn't…owe you…for what you've done for me…I'd be kicking your ass right now for staring at me like that."

So…she had seen me after all. I couldn't help but notice just how bitter she sounded. She had said the words 'owe you' after brief hesitation, as though reluctant and not believing that it was really her saying them. Elena's discomfort was extremely obvious by now, but I wasn't about to let her leave when there was a possibility that she could be ill. Besides, I had something to ask her. I realized that now was as good of a time as any, as I could sense an awkward silence coming. Allowing myself to think over how I would bring up the topic, I soon thought of a casual way to do so that wouldn't sound too suspicious:

"Elena, I have a question, if you don't mind…"

"Oh great, an interrogation." she grumbled sarcastically, laying her uniform out over the radiator before turning to finally look at me.

"Not quite, seeing as you have a choice of whether or not you answer me, which was what I meant by saying: 'if you don't mind…'"

This comment didn't go unnoticed. Immediately recognizing my words as another mockery of her intelligence, she adopted an ugly look of something similar to disgust. In my opinion, that expression really didn't belong on her face, and 'ugly' certainly isn't a word that I would normally use to describe her…the look she held at that moment didn't suit her…'gentle features' somehow. 'Gentle' features…if only I could say the same for her attitude…

"Just get on with it," she muttered with a hint of forcefulness in her voice that was a clever attempt to disguise her otherwise polite tone. Unfortunately, this didn't work, as her words sounded forced and un-natural.

"What I wanted to ask you…firstly, have you fully recovered from the…well…'circumstances' under which we last met? Also, why are you in Nibel…? Finally, why are you alone?"

She ignored my first and second questions, immediately reacting to the last.

"I'm not alone!". I couldn't help but notice that she sounded so defensive. This confirmed that she was lying.

"Oh…?" I began, in a tone that would make sure she understood that I didn't believe her. "Then just where are the other Turks, then…? They're certainly not here, are they?". I didn't realize how harsh this question had sounded until Elena reacted. Her reaction was definitely a strange one, though. Elena had turned to face me, and stared at me, wide-eyed for a few moments, almost as though she couldn't believe that I had just said what I did. In a way, nor could I.

A small involuntary sob escaped her, and her eyes seemed to glisten. However, she quickly and roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and replied viciously:

"Mind your own! Y…you said I didn't have to answer!!" This was certainly true…I had said that. I couldn't help but notice how odd her voice had sounded: strangely unnatural, trying to disguise her choked tone that told me that she was about to cry. As she had tried so hard to disguise the fact that she was upset, I ignored it and didn't try to comfort her. (As cold as this sounds, I believed that this was what she wanted.) However, I did fall silent and decided that leaving her alone would be the best option.

A somewhat awkward silence seemed to follow, and I dwelled on how cruel my words may have sounded to her. Deciding to do the decent thing, I opened my mouth to apologize. Surprise soon hit me when she suddenly spoke. Her speech had lost its forceful disguise. Her voice shaking and choked, she sounded…vulnerable. In fact, she sounded almost…pitiful.

"I've been separated from the other Turks, so I was waiting there for them to see if they'd show up. They didn't, and haven't for a couple of days now. I waited there for them, hoping they'd find me, but they haven't shown. You're probably wondering how we got separated…well; we were on a mission together. But I can't say what for. Confidential, you know…anyway… Tseng suggested we split up. Him and I went one way; Reno and Rude went the other way...one minute we're walking together, and next thing I know…I'm waking up in some guy's house here in Nibel. Apparently I'd passed out in the plains outside of town, but I think there's more to it than that. I think something happened, as I haven't been able to contact the other Turks."

I had no idea what to say to this, so I just sat there for a couple of painfully quiet minutes during which we just stared at each other in complete silence. Why had she answered me? It seemed she had surrendered the tough act for now, and accepted the fact that she wasn't going anywhere just yet. However, I expected that I couldn't be further from the truth. While I thought, a question seemed to slip from my lips without me even realizing that I was talking until I had finished.

"Are you feeling tired?" .It was such an irrelevant question…but I wasn't exactly surprised when she nodded in reply. I got up and approached her, offering her my hand to show that I didn't like to drag her around. The young blonde just stared at my hand as though I was holding a weapon of some sort and was trying to threaten her. Giving a quick glance at my face, she seemed confused, but hesitantly placed her hand in mine. I bowed my head in her direction for a second before leading her towards the bed. Releasing her hand somewhat more reluctantly than I had intended, I moved away from the bed, and towards the window.

"You can sleep here…try and get some rest." .To my surprise, she didn't argue, and just quietly lay down on the bed.

"Thanks." she mumbled, shutting her eyes.

What must have been nearly half an hour later, I thought she had awoken once again, but I was mistaken. Her eyes were still shut. She was moving ever so slightly and whispering something softly, which meant that I couldn't hear her clearly. Her breathing quickened, and her fists clenched tightly. I knew all too well what this meant…how couldn't I recognize it after thirty years of it? It was a nightmare, of course.

Something inside of me pitied the girl, and it was that part of me that made me approach the bed, and sit on the edge beside her. It was that part of me that made me attempt to comfort her and soothe her. Moving my hand towards her, I gently ran it through her soft blonde hair, which was still soaking after her standing out in the rain. Elena must have felt I was there…no. Not me. She must have felt that someone was there. My presence would be of little to no comfort to her. Why had this thought disappointed me? No…it hadn't…had it…? No. How could it disappoint me? It couldn't. I was just concerned…that's all…

She must have felt that someone was there. Someone who would be of a comfort to her…Tseng, perhaps… she unclenched her fists, and held out her hand to me, which I took hold of with the metal claw glove which covered my left hand and arm. Her other hand reached out to me, and I simply watched it, not knowing what it was that she wanted. I realized that she was still whispering to herself…I knew that what she was saying was none of my business, and yet I leant down towards her to try and hear, only to feel the hand that she had reached out gently brush against my right cheek, before resting against it.

Her nightmare continued, which left me wondering how to calm her so that she could rest properly. I thought for a few moments, trying to think how I could make her feel secure. It seemed that contact had relaxed her previously, so surely that was what she needed? "Sorry, Elena." I whispered, so as not to wake her. I knew that she wasn't going to be comfortable with this when she woke up. (Nor was I sure how comfortable I, myself would be with what I was doing, but what I felt right now wasn't as important as her comfort.) Hopefully it would calm her while she slept. I had no idea why I was doing what I was about to do…but somehow, I felt drawn to her. To be honest, I couldn't think why. She was stubborn, argumentative, and on top of that…well, something of a brat when she was in a bad mood. Elena had done perfect job of displaying that side of herself to me today, but yet…there was another side to her. I knew there was. There had to be. If she was truly this way normally, then how could she possibly have earned the reputation among Cloud and the others of being the nicest of the four Turks? The 'pushover?' It would have been rather hard, I assume.

Eventually, I became uncomfortable with seeing her suffer this nightmare- whatever it was-, so decided to try and do something about it. Before I was even aware of what I was doing, I had gently placed one arm under her neck, and the other under her legs in order to move her close to me. Placing her down so she was sitting on my lap and leaning back against my left arm, I wrapped my other arm around her and held her close to me, cradling her against my chest. I pulled my cloak around her to try and make her a little more comfortable, and just watched her, listening as her breathing softened and returned to its normal pace… how she would hate me when she woke up…but if it worked, then she could rest properly. I, myself had expected to feel uncomfortable with this situation, but to my own great surprise…it seemed perfectly comfortable to have her resting against me like this.

The rain continued well into the night, and I found myself watching her sleep. I felt like I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I couldn't take my attention away from her now peacefully sleeping form. Was it because I wanted to be aware of when she awoke, or had she sparked something off deep down inside of me…? Could it possibly be…affection? No…that part of my heart been rotting away while I served a part of my punishment in the basement of the ShinRa mansion. Once awoken by Cloud and the other members of AVALANCHE, I found that the affectionate part of my heart had completely faded away to become completely nonexistent. My heart had indeed been capable of affection in the first place, though. The same heart that I gave to a certain woman…Lucrecia…But I would rather avoid talking about that. I didn't wish to remember my sin…and I still don't…the memories that her very name caused to enter my head. To…subject me to the torment that I deserved…but…anyway… Elena wasn't my type at all…of course, the fair-haired young woman was _attractive_, I'd give her that…no. I had no idea why I was even thinking about this.


	3. Elena 1

We'd left the ShinRa office together, knowing exactly who would travel with who. Reno would go with Rude, (Of course…) and I would go with Tseng. Not that I was complaining, at all…anyway: I hadn't been completely filled in on what was going on, but the mission had something to do with some weird cave that had been discovered near Nibel that was supposedly the hideout for some anti-ShinRa group. "We ought to split up. Were anyone to see us, we would immediately seem suspicious. Four Turks walking through the fields isn't at all necessary anyway, is it…?" Tseng had suggested, and the three of us had agreed. My moronic yet somehow stupidly ingenious co-worker Reno had given a nod, and then turned and headed in the opposite direction. Rude had automatically followed after, which had just left Tseng and myself. How the heck was I supposed to know that things were gonna go so badly wrong in just a matter of minutes? The last thing I remember was entering a cave, and Tseng saying something like: "This is it…" a searing pain rushed through me, and then everything went black. Next thing I know, I'd woken up in some guys house. He was a nice enough man…He'd been in about his mid-thirties by the looks of things. The guy never told me his name, but he had told me that I'd apparently passed out in the plains just outside Nibel, and that he had brought me to his house in town so that I could rest. Well, I thanked him for the information, and then got out of there. It's just my luck that as I had got outside, it was raining real heavy. I figured that the decent thing to do would be to wait and see if any of the other Turks would turn up, and I checked around town, waiting for a while every day to see if any of the other Turks would turn up, but they didn't … and this was when I was reunited with Valentine, again. I'd be lying if I said that I had been ecstatic to see him…Kind of the opposite, actually. Sure, he'd saved us, but he'd been with AVALANCHE just like I had been with the Turks. Before I knew it, he was forcing me to follow him 'for the sake of my health', or whatever. Of course, I tried to refuse as I was still waiting for the others.

He brought me to his inn room. Nope, he hadn't persuaded me, he'd literally had to yank my arm as if I were some stubborn kid! Well, anyway. I ended up in his inn room, and he walked around…I just sat there, wanting to get out. I figured he'd ask me some questions, and then let me go. It looked like I couldn't have been any more wrong.

Eventually, he'd persuaded me to go to the bathroom and get changed into something of his (his shirt, to be more precise. I mean really…Eugh…He'd had to overpower me there, too, by saying something like if I didn't get changed I'd get sick and be there for longer. Naturally, I couldn't argue…I was still searching for Tseng and the others at the time). Well, the bathroom was my only real escape, I guess. It was a nice enough room…cream colored tiles, bath/shower combo to my left, a sink with a mirror above it to my right and a small, rectangular window in the wall directly in front of me. I'd considered trying to escape through it, but…well…I was too tired, and I figured that Valentine would catch up with me again. The guy's an ex-Turk…he was capable of it. Hiding out in the bathroom, he called me about fifteen minutes later to check up on me…and then ask me to come out and put my uniform on the radiator. He really seemed desperate to see me in that shirt…and I was honestly beginning to consider classing him as a pervert…

Even so, I had left the bathroom only to find him staring at me. Acting causal, I put my uniform on the radiator to the left of the bathroom's dark wooden door.

I had ended up standing over by the window, and just trying to pretend he wasn't there. I was totally mad at him by now. Not only had he insulted my intelligence ('what other uses can you think of for a shirt?' or something. Well, man…I'd told him exactly what else could be done with the shirt, and I think he got the message.) But as well as this, he'd treated me like some kinda retard by giving me this sympathetic look that you would give a kid or old person who was unfortunate enough to not understand the simplest of things that a more able adult could. Scarlet used to give me those looks, and man did I hate that 'horse-cackling' bitch! (The term 'horse-cackling' courtesy of President Rufus, of course…)…She dressed like a slut to try and get guys! Also, she tried (I could only assume) to get Rufus' attention for…well. Many reasons. Whatever. I'm getting off the point. Scarlet dead, end of story. Anyway, as I was saying: I hate people who give me the look that says: 'oh, my dear. Of course it's not your fault that you're a dumbass and a failure!' like Scarlet used to and Valentine had back then. Actually, a lot of people give me that look…Ah, whatever! Not my fault… just because I'm I'm a blonde girl from Midgar, people assume that I'm gonna be some cheap, dumb hooker like Scarlet... they judge me before they even get to know me…ugh… I digress… where was I…? Oh…right, I remember: It was then that Valentine had asked me the question that I'd been expecting:

He'd asked me if I'd recovered from after the events involving Kadaj and his gang. Actually, I never answered that one…huh…never mind! Whatever. Then he went on to ask: "What are you doing here in Nibel? And why are you all alone?" or something to that effect. Well, I told him that I wasn't alone. Well, it was true, I wasn't! The others had to be around here somewhere, but Valentine didn't believe me. He said something that sounded so harsh, even for a cold guy like him. Something like: "Oh? Well they're not here now, are they?" and it wasn't just what he said. It was the way he'd said it. I'd felt my eyes stinging, and I'll tell you now that it's really hard to make me cry. I'm not a wimp, ok? And I wasn't about to let him see that I was upset. I pretended to be angry and told him to mind his own, and then he shut up. But then…there was silence, and I'll admit that I didn't like it. I felt that it had been…my fault. I felt kinda mean, as he'd looked after me, and all…but I was kinda pissed off that he assumed that I needed rescuing all the time! I mean, that's just about as bad as telling me that I'm weak! Which, by the way…I'm not! But…he'd been nice to me. He'd been looking out for me, which I thought was…nice of him. Feeling sort of guilty about how I'd treated him, I ended up telling him the truth…well, he's a nice enough guy, but he creeps me out big time. Besides…He can sense a lie a mile off, and that I knew for sure...the tone of voice he'd used before made it clear that he hadn't believed me, anyway. So I told him all I could tell him. Well, as I said: he's a nice guy. He offered for me to sleep in the bed of his inn room…but he did it in the weirdest way. He got up, and…offered me his hand. This confused me a lot, as I had no idea why he was doing it. Suspicious, I put my hand in his and was taken over to the bed, where he left me and went to stand over by the window. Sure, it seems a little suspicious as I said, and I acted like I thought it was weird, but I had to admit: I was pretty tired…so I lie down and shut my eyes. I figured that the sooner I slept, the sooner I could leave. Not long after that, I fell asleep…but so much for 'sweet dreams', though.

A year or so on from the incident in North Crater, and the torture that Tseng and I went through still seems to be the perfect material for a recurring dream. The murky darkness of the North Crater…We were surrounded in mist so thick that we could just about see each others silhouettes, but that's all. A shot was fired. For some reason, I had assumed that Tseng had seen something and fired his gun. That is…until the shot pierced my skin. I'm not going to start to try and explain what happened back there, but all I'm going to say is: even in dreams, the agony of the torture is renewed. Vivid. Perfect to detail, right down to the stench of blood and burnt flesh…the struggle of holding back screams, and the desperation in the cries of concern that did manage to involuntarily escape us. Right at the worst part of the dream came the most confusing thing…I felt a sensation of comfort and protection that felt kind of like some sort of safety zone. It blocked out the horror, and made it all better. I didn't understand what it was…that is: until I woke up.

My eyes slowly opened, and that was when I realized that something felt different. I hadn't been sleeping in this position before…. I was half lying down and half sitting up. To be more precise, you could say that I was leaning back at a slight angle, with my head resting against something that was soft and yet firm at the same time. Blinking a couple of times in order to adjust to my surroundings, I had to do everything I could to stop myself from shouting in shock. It looked like I'd found my 'safety zone'…but man, was it a surprising one. Okay, when I'd gone to bed, I'd been lying down on the bed…And when I'd woken up, I'd been sitting on Valentine's lap, leaning back against his arm with my head against his chest and his arms around me. It looked like he'd tried to make me a bit more comfortable, as he'd made an attempt to wrap his cloak around me. In a way, it had worked, as it was pretty comfortable. It was sort of weird, though…I always had him pinned as a guy who hated contact. Guess I misjudged. Well, I looked at his face right away, only to find his crimson eyes already burning into me. I had no idea he'd been watching me…I just looked away from him, and tried to act casual, but for some reason: didn't try to move. Strange really. To wake up like that, though… Kind of surprising if it's unexpected… It raised an important question, actually, which I didn't hesitate to ask:

"How the hell did I get from there to here?"


	4. Vincent 2

She had stirred. Allowing a soft groan to escape her as she awoke, her gentle honey colored eyes had soon slid open and fixed on me for a moment or so. I suppose she hadn't been expecting me to be watching her, as she seemed shocked, and just looked away. Her eyes seemed to hate the idea of so much as glancing in my direction. Then she spoke:

"How the hell did I get from there to here?"

It was a question that to be honest: I wasn't sure of how to answer, but I tried to nonetheless.

"You had a nightmare. You calmed down when I came close, but then you'd show signs of discomfort again. I was trying to help you get some sleep..." I tried to explain. "I…I'm sorry."

To my surprise, she seemed to understand, and didn't seem angry at all.

"Oh." The young blonde had replied, showing no signs of wanting to move, so I assumed that she was still tired. "If you want to return to sleeping…then do so. It's not even morning yet, so I see nothing else that you can do other than sleep."

"What about you?" she asked, much to my surprise.

"What…?"

"I mean that… You must be tired. I doubt you're getting much sleep like this." For some reason that was beyond me, she actually sounded like she cared. Maybe she was even concerned…No, that was probably my imagination. Nobody cared in such a way…after all, who could?

"I'm fine…"

"Are you sure?" she asked. Elena still sounded tired, so I assumed that this would be her final question. Somewhere inside, I knew she was a lovely girl underneath the tough exterior she'd tried to build for herself, and she had proved this to me by showing such concern.

"Yes, Elena. I'm sure…Go back to sleep. _I_ may not be tired, but _you_ are..."

To my complete and utter surprise, she didn't scowl or show any negative feelings. Instead, she just smiled and fell asleep once more.


	5. Elena 2

Ok, so I won't say it wasn't a shock waking up like that, and under different circumstances, I'd probably have tried to beat the shit out of him for so much as moving my arm while I was asleep. I would have, but I didn't. Why? Haha…'why?' is a surprisingly hard question to answer, and even more difficult to explain so that it's understood. I suppose I just recognized the fact that he was trying to be nice to me, and hadn't lost his temper with me for being such a difficult bitch earlier. Anyways, it wouldn't be the first time Valentine had tried to help me out, so I suppose he deserved some thanks. He was only doing what he thought was right, after all, so he wasn't doing anything wrong, or anything. I guess I just decided to cut him some slack.

"_I_ may not be tired, but _you_ are…"

It was weird, but he actually sounded like he gave a damn. Now that was something I couldn't actually figure out…_why_ did he give a damn? It wasn't as though we were best friends, or whatever. Barely even friends. Acquaintances? Sure, I guess that's the word I was looking for. Anyways, I had to admit that he was right. I was damn tired…as he was being so nice to me; I figured I might as well return the favor. I gave a quick smile, and went straight back to sleep. I could tell he was still there, as I didn't actually have any nightmares or anything. That feeling lasted for a little while, but then disappeared some time later. Valentine had obviously gone or something, taking my safety zone with him. To be fair, I couldn't blame him for it…I mean, a good thing can't last forever. Everyone always goes away at some time, and so the battle between my sub-conscious and I continued.


	6. Vincent 3

I had never intended to leave her side without notice in such a way, but perhaps it was lucky that I did. By doing so, I was able to begin to aid her in solving her problem. It had been unintentional, of course. I had never set out to try and help her uncover what had happened before I had found her. To be truthful, I had no real interest in her problem…my interest just remained with her health and safety while she was nearby.

You may be wondering how it came to be that I came across such information…so I suppose that I ought to explain. The explanation however, may not be of the most interesting of stories that you have heard…but things were about to get more interesting over time. So much so that I couldn't even have previously imagined.

What happened was this: a period of time that was dominated by solitude, during which I found myself softly stroking her hair as she slept. Aside from the rather peaceful sound of rain tapping against the window, everything remained silent. (Of course…the rain always sounds peaceful to someone who is safely inside. It gives a certain feeling of security…) It was then that voices cut through the silence like a sharp knife. Normally, I wouldn't have taken any notice, and just assumed that the voices were those of locals. However, something didn't sound right. These voices were unfamiliar, and were full of anger and hatred. My curiosity…the cursed thing…got the best of me, causing me to gently lay Elena down on the bed and pull the sheet up over her. With a silent promise that I'd be back soon, I left the room and locked the door behind me. Although, once outside, my mind only informed me of how my hand missed the soft feel of her hair. I soon shook this thought from my head, and took this as my mind's way of telling me that it was the solitude that I missed, not the girl herself.

I traced the voices outside the building, and it was around the back in a dark, dull alley that I finally discovered whom the conversation was between. However, all I had to go on were the voices. The alley was dark, and the two men were quite far down in it, meaning that I could only see the vague outline of two figures.

"I'm tellin' ya…the four of 'em got away! It weren't my fault, like! Ya know 'ow it 'appens!" protested a voice that had a strong Midgar accent. From his way of speaking, I could immediately tell that he was from the slums.

"Is that so? Strange, but I fail to see how four unconscious Turks could somehow slip away from you." This voice was much harder to determine than the first, and had a rather nasal, stereotypical upper-class quality that becomes very irritating after some time. However, by now I was beyond worrying about where the speaker was from. My concerns had changed to where the speaker was going, or rather: what the speaker was planning…and surprisingly: what had happened to the other Turks. After hearing this man finish his sentence, I felt a jolt of fear run through me…I had left Elena alone! She was still sleeping, unarmed and vulnerable…another statement from the second speaker pulled me from my thoughts, and added to my feelings of worry for her:

"…Fool. I'll find them, and take care of them myself. I already have men out tracking each of them, and when they find them…well, I'm sure you can figure out that much…if I have no difficulty getting rid of them, then you will soon follow them. Do you understa- …what was that?" I assumed he was referring to the gunshots that had sounded from not too far away. I just hoped that whatever it was, Elena wasn't involved. Although tempted to find out where and why the shots had sounded, I had a strong feeling that I should remain where I was and continue to listen.

"Ah, whatever…Anyway: do you understand?" demanded the cold voice again.

"But..."

"I said: 'do you understand?'" he persisted, in a voice that was sounded more fierce than before.

"Bu-…Yes, Sir."

It continued on like this for a while…the man from Midgar sniveled and cowered before the other, long after the distant gunfire had ceased.

"You may still have a chance to get back into my good books, you know…"

"Sir…"

"Well? Why are you still standing there like a fool?"

"Sir, I-…"

It was here that I stopped listening. I had heard soft footsteps approaching from behind me, and assumed it was one of the men that had been sent out to track the Turks. But why was one coming after me…? They must have known that I knew Elena's whereabouts…I only pretended that I hadn't heard them, sensing them come closer. After a moment or two, I heard them again… directly behind me…3…2…1. Drawing the gun from the holster strapped to my leg, I immediately turned, and held the gun to the stranger's forehead, my finger resting on the trigger. Looking down at the figure, my eyes widened a fraction. It wasn't an enemy that I was holding at gunpoint…my gaze hadn't found an assassin of any description... Well, that was actually a lie. My gaze had fallen upon a slender female figure in Turk uniform. She had short blonde hair that seemed longer on one side, but due to being drenched from the rain, was sticking to her cheeks in wet clumps. Light honey colored eyes stared back at me in worry. Slowly reaching up to take hold of my arm, she lowered it, and I put my gun back in its holster. Before I had the chance to apologize, she had all but lunged at me, her arms tight around me…strangely; she felt heavy…she was leaning on me completely. Then it hit me. She couldn't support herself properly…something was wrong, here. She hadn't lunged at me for an embrace like I had misinterpreted. She had fallen on me.

She then looked up at me, and I felt my eyes widen. She was hurt…from the looks of things, a bullet had pierced her cheek, and a small stream of blood trickled down from the wound.

"Elena…?"

"S-s…sorry! A guy just…c-came…"

She didn't have to say any more than that, as all I needed to know was in that broken fragment of a sentence. Well, that certainly explained the bullets that had sounded earlier.

"…Alright."

That was all I could think to say. Well, what else could I have said? A lot, I suppose…in any case, I tried again:

"…It's alright, Elena…"

The look that she had given me after I had said that…it was as though I had been speaking to her in some sort of foreign language. I suppose she expected me to be an empty shell that is incapable of emotion…and she wouldn't have been far wrong, in some ways. She had looked rather shaken…I had previously assumed that underneath the tough exterior that she had created for herself, she was just like any other girl. She could cry, be scared, and have a weakness. She wasn't the killing machine that people generalize Turks to be, but she was an ordinary girl that had emotions…She acted tough, but…she was sensitive. It only took that one look to give me all of that information about her. Once again, I had found myself staring. I shook my head, and wrapped my left arm around her shoulders in order to not only comfort her, but also defend her from any possible attacks.

It was then that the same cold voice that I had heard in the alleyway a few moments before spoke from behind us. How could I possibly have forgotten about him? Had Elena really been such a distraction to me…? No…I had just spent too long silently analyzing her…that was all, surely.

"What did I tell you? It seems I can demonstrate how I will destroy the Turks…by using this one that seems to have wandered across our path."


	7. Elena 3

The sound of a door being shoved down had woken me up straight away. I had always been a light sleeper, and it was in times like this that I thank god that I was. The sound of a gun being cocked had forced me to immediately leap off of the bed in order to dodge roll out of the way of an inevitable shot. It was lucky that this was my instinct, as the second that I had leapt out of the way; a shot had been fired at where I had been lying only mere seconds before. Without hesitation, I rolled to my right so that I was now under the bed. I loathed hiding in situations like this, but I'd left my gun in the bathroom when I'd brought my uniform out to hang it on the radiator – which was very luckily: just beside the bathroom door. Having left the door open, I quietly lay under the bed on my stomach, creating a plan, and silently dragging myself near to the front of the bed.

"C'mon out, sweetheart. I know you're in 'ere. I just wanna talk to you. Never spoken to no Turk before, 'specially no girl Turk. Just wanna talk, so don't hide…"

_My ass, you wanna talk...stupid son of a-…_I found myself thinking, silently cursing the man. With my gaze fixed on the bathroom door, I made a plan to cross the gap between the end of the bed and the bathroom and quickly grab my uniform before I entered the bathroom. I would then shut and lock the door, quickly put my uniform on, grab my gun and then escape through the bathroom window. I just hoped that it'd work, because it was the only sane plan I could think of at the time. Well, close to sane, anyway.

"You should never try to hide from a pro like me, darlin'. Turk or not." he mocked me. The bastard had seen me! He'd found me by kneeling down beside the bed, and checking underneath. He was such a fool…he had the advantage there, but had blown it by being a smart-ass. _Kind of like Reno…_ my mind remarked, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself laughing. It was true: both this hit man and Reno were both arrogant gits. However, there was one minor difference: Reno could do his job. This guy couldn't.

Well, now was as good of a time as any to test out my plan. If it didn't work, then I was finished. Without thinking, I immediately escaped from underneath the bed by pushing myself out through a forward roll, just as he opened fire on where I had been lying on my chest. Getting to my feet, he then aimed his damned automatic in my direction as I did a dive from where I had been standing for a few seconds –reaching out as I did in order to grab the heap of clothes on the radiator. I was glad that it had been a small radiator (meaning that I had to lay my clothes out on top of each other), otherwise getting my uniform would have been a much harder task-. This dive ended in another forward roll, meaning I had to pull my arms in from the dive and hug my uniform to my chest.

He had still been shooting – with, may I say: an absolutely _awful_ aim. Most of his bullets hit the bed, and a lot of them where imbedded in the walls behind me. However, after I had dived and rolled, I felt bullets connect with my back. Yes…I recognized the feeling of blood trickling down my body from the entrance and exit wounds of the bullets. I guess he'd just gotten lucky from aiming his gun in my general direction and hoping for the best. It was at that moment that he needed to reload. Grabbing my own gun from where I had left it on the floor in the bathroom, I immediately threw myself to the ground in order to do an odd maneuver that required me to roll and change direction. No easy task in just a shirt, I'll tell you…

This left me now facing the door, and aiming from a position where I was down on one knee. With my gun pointed in the intruder's direction, I swung a vicious sweep kick at the door that slammed shut with a loud thud. Getting up, I then locked the door, which was soon damaged by a fresh wave of bullets within a matter of seconds. It seemed he had reloaded… I couldn't fight him now that I was injured…instead; I stuck to my original plan of hastily getting dressed, and racing over to the window behind me. I couldn't check my wounds now, regardless of how much they distracted me. There would be time for that later! Besides: I had dealt with much worse!

Quickly straightening my jacket and discarding the now bloodstained shirt of Vincent's, I scanned my gaze over myself and made sure I had everything. Full uniform? Yes. Holster? Yes. Gun? Yes. Ok. I was good to go. Moving my attention to the small, rectangular window that was above the toilet, I decided that seeing as I was quite small and thin compared to other adults (not to sound vain, but I was just being honest.) I could just about fit through it, but I'd have to be fast. The bathroom door didn't look like it would hold for much longer…

"If you're a real Turk, then ya shouldn't be hidin'!" the intruder's voice bellowed over heavy gunfire. The idiot was trying to lure me out…Well; he certainly wasn't going to be successful. Stepping on to the white plastic cover of the toilet lid, I quickly placed my hands on the window ledge that was quite a way above. I jumped up, and had to push my feet against the wall in order to give me the support I needed to try to push myself up on to the ledge. Swinging my left leg up, I managed to get it on to the thin ledge in a very awkward and insecure position. I hastily swung my other leg up and pulled myself into a kneeling position on the thin window ledge. My time was really running out it seemed, as the condition of the door was quite honestly awful. I returned my attention to the small window next to me, and saw two latches on either side of the glass, misty from the rain. One latch easily clicked off, but the other on the left hand side of the window frame was unbelievably stiff. I was becoming desperate to make my escape now, and this window really wasn't going to co-operate. A good shove of the window would completely open the latch, and also would have opened the window. How would I shove it without completely falling out, though? I panicked for a moment, before regaining my cool. How couldn't I have thought of this before? I moved as close to the edge of the ledge as it would allow without resulting in me falling off, and pulled my right leg back. Giving one, quick glance at the door, I soon looked back at the window and kicked the plastic latch and frame as hard as I could. Perfect! This gave the latch a strong shunt, which gave it no choice but to open.

The window also reacted to this blow. It opened with a large amount of force, and swung open rather widely, giving me what I estimated to be just enough room to climb out. I just hoped that the door would hold long enough for me to escape.

Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky as to make a perfect escape. The door gave way, and the hit man stepped in to the room, automatic in hand. Stamping on the now bloodstained shirt that Vincent had given me before; he only raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. "Doin' a runner, are ya? You can either die by gun like a real Turk, or ya can die from the drop like a coward. What'll it be?"

What a retard! I had to try my hardest not to laugh at what a bad job he was doing at being a villain. This guy didn't even deserve the title of 'lap-dog'! I mean, he could have shot me and finished me now, but no…yet again, he'd chosen to talk to me! It was all I could do to keep a straight face. "Sorry, but I think I'm gonna have to choose the drop!"

"…. Crazy bitch."

"Nuh-uh…Crazy _Turk_ bitch, if you don't mind." I mocked him. Well, how couldn't I mock him at least once before leaving?

"It's been fun. Really!" with that, I made my exit. As the window was only large enough for a 'petite' adult like me to crawl out of (I chose 'petite' rather than 'small'…'small' makes me sound short!) I turned so that my back was facing the window, and dropped in order to grab the window ledge. This was hard to keep hold of…not only because of the fact that rain was still pouring down, but because the rain had made the ledge slippery and hard to keep a grip on. What I didn't expect was for his face (yeah, you guessed it…our new friend, the psycho…) to appear at the window, and him to aim his automatic at me again.

"We've got the same policy as you Turks: complete the mission, no matter what.". With that, he opened fire just as I had let go of the ledge. Bullets ripped mercilessly through my left arm, but the damage was hidden pretty well by my jacket. As I reached out to grab the window ledge below, my heart seemed to thump even harder and faster than usual as I missed my target. My fingers of my right hand had come in contact with the window ledge, but had slipped due to the ledge being wet and slippery, and had completely missed the grab! Much to my discomfort, I forced my injured left arm to reach up for the window ledge, and grab. It was by doing this that I only just managed to save myself. I struggled to keep my hold, as hanging by my injured arm was causing an agonizing pain to flash through it. I hissed in anger and pain as I tried to reach up my right arm to grab on to the ledge. At the same time, I was trying to place my feet against the wall in a way that would allow me to jump and push myself away from this ledge…However, with the stinging pain that was shooting through my arm and my grip loosening, as well as the hit man still firing at me (luckily, a lot of his bullets were hitting the window ledges above and the one I was clinging to, but unfortunately: a bunch of bullets found a nice new home in my shoulder, and one managed to hit my cheek. I was trying not to concentrate on the pain, or the blood that was slowly moving down my face.) I was seriously debating whether or not I was actually going to survive this crazy stunt. Apparently, this ledge really didn't like me. My attempts at getting my right hand to get a decent grip on it were in vain, as my left arm surrendered, and my fingers slipped from the ledge, sending me falling down to what I assumed was going to be my death. As a Turk, I was prepared…but apparently today was going to be my lucky day, after all. There were more rooms below this one, which meant more ledges that could stop me from plummeting to my doom. Right now, my left arm would refuse to co-operate, and so I reached out my right arm in desperation. I just hoped that this ledge wasn't too slippery….

Once again, I found my heartbeat quickening as the ledge below came closer and closer. Would I make it? Or was this how it was going to end?

"Agh…" I let out another hiss of pain. As my right hand had made contact with the slippery, wet ledge and made a firm grip, the rest of my body had swung forward and slammed against the rough wall.

Instinctively as you jump, you move your legs to propel yourself further, right? Well, I'd done that during falling, and as my body made contact with the wall, the hard brick of the building had mercilessly scratched not only my leg, but all the way up to my waist. I assumed that from the hard contact made, it would be skinned and bleeding at most. I'd kept myself stable on the ledge, though…that was all that mattered for now. I could sort out any injuries later.

While hanging there by only one hand, I knew at that moment that the son of a bitch above me had reloaded, and I could sense that he was aiming right at me again. Knowing that I had to get out of the line of fire, I looked over at the ledge to my right. Did I dare to? Getting a grip on this ledge had been hard enough, but to do it again? Well…how would I rather die? Death by the psycho shooting me, or by taking a nasty fall? As you may have guessed, I didn't have much trouble making my decision. I took a deep breath to prepare myself, and then I went straight for it. It was now or never.

It took almost all of my strength to throw myself across the gap between this window ledge and the one to the left. My breath seemed to catch in my throat as I crossed the gap between the two ledges, reaching out once more with my right arm, as my left wouldn't even move after the strain I had previously put on it. My fingers met with the slippery plastic…and slipped. I let out a gasp of horror, and thought the worst, desperately reaching out with my right arm again, my fingers spread wide. A fall from this height would be fatal, of that there was no doubt!

"No!!!" I screamed, the air leaving my lungs in a single breath as I expected the worst to come. It was then that my left arm replied to my frantic attempts at moving it, and reached out, grasping hold of the ledge. This ledge not being quite as slippery, I was able to – much to the discomfort of my damaged left arm- hold myself in place with one hand, my damaged left hand. However, I soon stretched up and grasped the ledge with my right, attempting to shift my weight on to my right hand and create a secure grip. Well…about as secure as a grip can be on a slippery ledge, anyway. I assumed I was safe for now. Well, that was pretty stupid of me…Hanging where I was with much difficulty, I scanned the area for an alternative way down. Before I had the chance to work one out, something collided with the ledge with great impact. It took a second for me to figure out what had happened…that jackass had fired at the window ledge I had caught hold of! As a result, the impact of several bullets had ripped the wet plastic ledge away from the wall of the inn, hurling me backwards, away from the wall, the ledge in my hand. I assumed that I had no chance of survival now. There was nothing to grab, and I was in too much shock to reach out for anything to save myself even if I had the opportunity.

I had no idea if I should call this luck or not, but I had been sent flying back at such a height, that I crashed on to the roof of a shorter building behind the inn. This of course, resulted in a great pain that flashed through my body. It was that pain that made me snap back to reality, and realize where I was: back out in the soaking town of Nibel with a man aiming his gun at me. My body was screaming out in pain, but I knew that I had to fight back.

Taking my own gun from its holster, it was my turn to shoot. Aiming at the bathroom window, I opened fire while doing several flips and dodges in order to evade his bullets – although this caused great pain, sacrifices have to be made in a life or death situation. After a few moments, his gunfire ceased. I took this as my opportunity to get the hell out of there! I used the same technique I had used back in the bathroom to safety drop to the ground. With that, I took off to look for anyone…Tseng…Rude…Reno…Vincent…anyone. My body burned with pain with each step, but I wasn't about to give up!

Finally – around the back of the inn at the mouth of an alley- I found Vincent, gazing into the alley and not seeming to care that the rain was pouring down on him, soaking him. I didn't understand what he was doing, so approached him. He immediately turned, the tip of his gun pressed hard against my forehead. It shocked me, and I stared at him for a moment, reaching for his arm. He reacted, slipping his gun back into his holster.

Looking at him for a moment, I felt happy…I wasn't able to pretend that I wasn't happy to see him this time, and just hugged him, relieved to have found someone. I would've preferred Tseng, but hey: Valentine had been nice to me, so I suppose he deserved my trust…even if he was staring at me…why the heck was he staring at me?!…it was probably because of the blood on my face and the fact that I was struggling to hold myself up, most likely. He was really nice and helped me to stand up properly…anyway; he really surprised me when he tried to comfort me. I mean… it was as though we were friends, or something.

"…It's alright, Elena…" I honestly never thought he had a nice side, but it wasn't the first time that I'd been wrong about something like this. After all: I thought Reno was an arrogant ass-hole who just criticized others because he was bad at his job. I was wrong: he's an arrogant ass-hole who criticizes others because he's damn good at his job…I dunno…maybe I was being too harsh on Reno…he can be ok, I guess.

Anyways, back to what I was telling you about: Valentine put his arm around me, which actually calmed me down quite a lot. That is…until this guy came out of the alley. It was what he said next that made me certain that he was somehow connected with what happened to the other Turks and myself.

"What did I tell you? It seems I can demonstrate how I will destroy the Turks…On this one that seems to have wandered across our path."

It was just one fight after the other! It seemed that Valentine wasn't gonna let me fight, though. Before I had the chance to draw my gun, he had shoved me away, and ordered:

"Run!". The new guy only laughed at this, and took out a long, spotless shining blade. I shook my head at Valentine, but he wasn't gonna take no for an answer, apparently. He'd gotten between me and the other guy, and narrowed his crimson eyes in my direction. "Elena." he stated somewhat coldly.

"Hahahaha…if you run now, then I'll find you later. You and all of your kind in your company will meet the sticky end that I've prepared for-…"

"Elena, RUN!"


	8. Vincent 4

Oh, yes. Yet another demonstration of how stubborn Elena of the Turks could truly be. In order to protect her, I needed her to get away from the battlefield. She was already injured…I could tell, due to the fact that I could smell blood when she hugged me, not to mention the stream of blood that trickled down from her cheek...on top of that, she had felt heavier. As though she was struggling to hold herself up.

Normally, I would have allowed her to battle, but I couldn't if she was injured.

"Hahahaha…if you run now, then I'll find you later. You and all of your kind in your company will meet the sticky end that I've prepared for-…" the arrogant bastard had begun. I had interrupted him, by ordering Elena to run once more.

"Elena, RUN!" I had yelled. I wasn't going to let her remain here while she was hurt. She tried to obey, but stumbled, collapsing to her knees. Damn…I hadn't taken into account the fact that she was struggling to stand as she was, so how in the world was she supposed to run away? This could be more difficult than I expected. I thought for a moment, never taking my eyes off of the stranger. "Alright, Elena…do me a favour and don't get involved…I'll take care of him."

"Oooh! I'm scared! Someone save me!" he cackled, obviously trying to provoke me."Ah, I forgot to introduce myself: I'm-…"

"I don't care who you are…"

"I'm sure that you do. Leader of an anti-ShinRa group-..."

"Oh? How nice for you…"

He seemed annoyed by this…either because I continued to interrupt him, or because I didn't seem to be as impressed as he had hoped. Either way, his eyes seemed to narrow at me, and pointed the long, thin blade of a long sword at me.

"I really don't appreciate being interrupted like that, you know. In fact, I find it rather rude…" he hissed angrily.

"…Is that so? That's such a shame. It's funny that you should say that, as I find the fact that you're trying to kill one of my…friends…-"

"You seem hesitant in saying that. I think you're lying about your…relationship…with that blonde brat."

"R-…relation-…?" I spluttered, taken aback at his choice of word and yet not wanting to show him that I was actually thinking about his words. "No…you talk as though you want a fight…I just hope you realize that no one will be able to hear you scream back here. Even if they did, they'd be too busy to care." I'd grown up in this town, so I knew what people were like.

"Hmph…the look on your face suggests that you wish to fight me…but is that really the truth? Do you realize that your defeat is inevitable, and the very idea of you attempting to battle me is…laughable? Your attempts at victory would be futile, Sir. My blade is not this clean for no reason! My god, no. Do you realize how fast this blade can move? How quickly it cuts through the air or…through skin? I am a master swordsman who is unbeatable. My movements are so fast that not even a blur can be seen…and my sword is so fast and so sharp that it cuts through flesh without gaining so much as one drop of blood upon its surface. That, dear sir…is an extremely fast strike. Still confidant? I believe not. Am I right?"

He was beginning to remind me of an annoying villain from a movie…he could have used this time to go for Elena, or make a sneak attack…but instead, he had chosen to monologue. However fast he was in speed, he lacked in intelligence it seemed. I was about to make a snide comment, but then I realized that I would be no better than he by doing so. Besides, I couldn't protect Elena from this…psychopath by talking. It was far too late for words now that his intentions were clear.

During the silence that I had been using to think, a smug smirk had appeared on the man's face, and had begun to grow.

"Wait a second…wait. I think I know who _you _are…and if I'm right, you…and your little blonde play-thing are finished."

I felt my eyes narrow, and my blood boil when I heard this.

"_What_… did you call her…?" I hissed. This guy was really pushing his luck now. He was heading the right way for several serious injuries. That is…if he were lucky enough to survive.

"You're Vincent Valentine, aren't you? Carrier of the Chaos gene…and more importantly: you're an ex-Turk…". A sadistic, gleeful smile appeared on his lips as he asked me this, as though he was a large cat who had cornered a particularly helpless mouse.

"And if I am…?" I demanded, hating myself for talking to this man when I could be destroying his very existence…erasing his life…

"Well, well…here's a tricky choice: destroying a Turk – even if an ex-Turk – for the greater good…or…using the creature inside of you to my advantage…? I've heard it's powerful. Such power could destroy lots of ShinRa workers, you know…"

I had no time to be wasting with this fool, and I didn't particularly want to dirty my hands with something as foul as his blood…but I couldn't allow him to walk away unscathed. Not after this.


	9. Elena 4

I felt awful for just sitting there like some useless kid, and watching Valentine stick up for me like that. Several times I tried to open my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. No comment, no argument, nothing. As the fight itself unfolded, I could do nothing but watch…it was like the Northern Crater incident all over again: watching, waiting, and hoping for safety. Sounds pathetic, doesn't it? Well, so be it! It wasn't totally my fault! Well, it was kinda. I'd injured myself by pulling some crazy stunt to escape the hit man, but that was all! Valentine had got himself involved in this mess, so that couldn't be blamed on me! Could it…?

The sound of rapid gunfire mixed with the slashing of a sword filled the air. Grunts of pain and snarls of determination and anger joined them, and blood splattered to the ground. From where I was sitting, it looked as though Valentine was winning. He had a few injuries and looked as though he was weakening slightly, but besides that, he was fine. The stranger however, was bent double. His once graceful movements with his sword had become clumsy and more random.

"C-…Cease-fire!" he commanded, his expression darkening as Valentine ignored his order. He really was showing no mercy. This provoked the temper of the stranger. As though receiving a burst of energy from what seemed like nowhere, he sped towards Valentine, his sword slicing through the air, dealing a nasty wound to Valentine's chest. Blood through the air, and I tried to force myself to grab my gun, only to have Valentine spot this moment, and shout a command of: "Don't move!" to me. Another blow from the stranger's sword greeted Vincent's right arm, knocking the gun from his hand. Being the idiot I am, I had distracted him, causing him to lose focus….

"In future, listen…Ex-Turk." He hissed, pushing his weakened opponent forward, and laying those piercing eyes into me. "A pleasure to meet you, Mi'lady...or perhaps you would prefer the term 'murderer'? Until next time." Such a bittersweet sentiment, stated with a tone of pure venom.

He was gone, leaving Valentine doubled over in pain, right hand against his chest, eyes shut as he winced. His gun had skidded away from him, and lay on the floor not too far from where I was.

I couldn't just sit here watching anymore .Now it was my turn to help him, or at least try to. Putting my hands out on the ground in front of me, I tried to force myself to stand up so that I could go to him and see if he was alright. However, I stopped when I heard Vincent's strained yet powerful voice order: "Stop it, Elena!" My gaze found him again, his crimson eyes narrowed and burning into me. He too, was now on his knees. I couldn't help but gasp when I looked at him, though…kneeling, one hand over a heavy wound to his chest as blood trickled down his front. From the corner of his lips flowed more of the crimson liquid, passing over his ghostly pale skin before dripping to the ground, meeting with a puddle of the blood, which had gathered beneath him, already, glinting in the light of the moon. I couldn't help but remember how there was an inside joke that the Turks had…how Valentine was a 'vampire'. This scene before my eyes so vividly recalled that, making me miss my co-workers even more, but also scorn them for saying such things about him. The image of Valentine covered in blood...it wasn't a joke anymore! Now, I can't really see how it was funny at all.

"I don't take orders from you!" I replied, feeling guilt inside of me from those thoughts. Trying again, I winced as I shakily fought to stand up. After several attempts that he watched, and tried to end by trying to order me to stop while he battled with his own agony, I finally succeeded. Now the next challenge: walking.

"Why are you doing this to yourself…?" his rough voice demanded, his eyes full of something that looked like sadness, or even…pain.

"Why?" I repeated after him, forcing my feet to carry me towards him. "Because…. I…" I wasn't too sure, but tried to answer regardless of that fact. "Because you'd do the same thing for me!" I finally decided aloud, nodding once, and cursing as I once again found myself on my knees. "Shit!" I'd tried so hard, only to fail again. Well, this feeling was familiar by now…but I wasn't about to give up in my attempts to walk to him. I needed to make sure he was alright, after all! It was the decent thing to do. Once again, I pushed myself up into a crouching position, and tried to pull myself up into a standing position, ignoring the pain that was ripping through my body, when…a hand met with my shoulder and forced me down, roughly pulling me forwards into an embrace. "Wh-…what are you-…?!"

"That's enough." I heard him mutter weakly to my ear. "Stop…please."


	10. Vincent 5

I had tried to fight him off as best as I could, and eventually he had retreated. He had been in a worse state than I when he had decided to call it quits, but I still felt weak. If I had done the damage I had desired, the rat wouldn't have lived to see another day…well, I would succeed in my efforts next time. Let there be no doubts about that. I must have seemed weak in her eyes. As a talker, rather than a fighter. I only hope that I had not disappointed her. I was confused as to why I was thinking such things, in all honesty. Why was I suddenly concerned over Elena's opinion of me? Why was I worrying over her opinion of my fighting? Why did it matter so…? No…I wasn't worrying. I assume it was merely delusion from blood loss, or something similar.

All was silent, and I clutched at my chest, eyes shut tightly as I tried to shut out the pain, only to hear Elena's movements. _Is she…doing what I think she is doing? _I thought, opening my eyes to gaze in her direction.

The blonde was ignoring the pain that she must have been feeling as she attempted to stand up. Why was she doing such a thing? Was she truly foolish enough to believe that trying to stand up wouldn't make her injuries worse? "Stop it, Elena!" I found myself ordering, now shifting on to my knees. To my relief, she did so, and stared over at me. The way that her eyes gazed in my direction was somewhat unnerving to say the least, but I did my best not to look away from her in embarrassment. I felt so pathetic, and no doubt, I looked pathetic to her eyes, too.

"I don't take orders from you!" that stubborn voice of hers declared, as she continued her attempts. For now, I could do nothing but watch, astounded that she would continue to hurt herself in such a way.

"Why are you doing this to yourself…?" I questioned her. I couldn't allow her to continue this self-harm without knowing her reasons for doing so, nor would I allow for her to continue when she made her reasons clear. However, it was her response to my question that greatly surprised me, and left me staring at her in shock for a few moments afterward: "Because you'd do the same thing for me!" She was doing all of this…going to all this effort to move…for me? She was hurting herself for me?

"Shit!" I heard her snap, rousing me from my thoughts, only for my gaze to find her on her knees a short distance away. Her tenacity seemed to urge her to continue in her efforts, but I knew that I had to put a stop to this. She wouldn't listen to my order to stop, so I would have to take action, or else she would worsen her injuries. Now it was my turn to try to move and feel pain as a consequence, just as she had done for my sake.

I needed to act in order to prevent her from acting again. I needed to move, and it would need to be fast. Ignoring the cries of pain from my legs, I began moving slowly towards her, continuously telling myself that it was: 'just a little farther' and that I was 'almost there'. Soon, I had to stop crawling. I couldn't continue further, but I was close enough to reach her, and do something to prevent her from standing. Reaching out my right arm, I placed my hand heavily on her shoulder, pulling her back down to the ground, much to her surprise. I knew that she would try to stand again, so I used my right hand to pull her towards me, forcing her into an embrace and wrapping my arms tightly around her. Yes. To prevent her standing…that was the only reason. Completely.

"Wh-…what are you…?!" I heard her demand, but all I could think of to say was:

"That's enough…Stop... please."

I felt so thankful when she had listened, just kneeling close to me with my arms tight around her. However, these few moments of solitude ended when Elena's voice cut the silence once more:

"V-...V...Valentine...that. We've gotta...I mean...we can't just leave it like that...!"

She was right. It _did_ hurt...but I didn't want to seem even weaker in her eyes by saying so. After all, it was no more than just a small wound to the chest. I would have to put up with it until I had made sure her injuries were alright...that is, after I had gotten her back to the inn. For now, I tried to calm her worries by telling her: "It's not almost as serious as it looks."

"Bu-...!"

"You heard me. It isn't serious, Elena!" I hadn't intended to snap at her, and I immediately regretted doing so once I noticed the look on her face. She seemed scared of me...her honey-coloured eyes wide in what could have been shock or fear...perhaps it was both. Her lips were slightly apart as though she wanted to say something more, but she had decided to remain silent. She hadn't been expecting me to snap at her, apparently...I'll admit, that my reaction to her concern had come as something as a shock to me, as well.

I let her go, and struggled to stand up. It was only my chest that had really been injured, so I had no real problems doing so. Leaving her side for a moment, I looked for my gun, finding it on the ground a short distance away. Picking it up, I put it back into the holster strapped to my right leg, and returned to where I had left Elena.

Glancing down at her, as she was still kneeling down, I thought over how I was going to transport her back to the inn. Only one idea came to mind, and I already knew that she wouldn't much appreciate it, but it was the only way that I could think of that didn't involve her having to stand up. Slowly kneeling down by her side, I noticed that her gentle eyes watched my every move, and once again my actions caused those eyes to widen. Elena obviously wasn't expecting it until I had pulled her close to me again, one arm supporting her back while the other supported her legs. It was only then that she understood my plan.

"Oh, no-no-no-..." Elena began to protest, shaking her head and staring up at me.

I'd simply nodded, and stood up with her in my arms, much to her displeasure. "No-no-no NO! Serious! Put me down! It's gonna look so bad for me if you've gotta carry me back into town! What if the other Turks are ther-..."

"You're honestly expecting them to be there?" I questioned, raising one eyebrow. That had silenced her, and she gazed up at me in shock for a few moments, soon moving her gaze away. Needless to say, she said nothing more after that, and I silently began carrying her back to the inn. The time for apologies wasn't now. That time would come when I knew that she was safely back in the room.


	11. Elena 5

Ok, fine. He'd rejected my concern, but I didn't care about that. It was his loss. I was surprised when he moved, but what surprised me even more was the fact that he had the nerve to try and pick me up without my permission. He couldn't be serious…he had to be kidding, right?

"Oh, no-no-no…" I began, staring up at him. He nodded, confirming my fears. Well, I couldn't allow that! A Turk doesn't need rescuing! It would be far too embarrassing to have to be carried back into town! Valentine would have to forget that idea right now!

"No-no-no NO! Serious! Put me down! It's gonna look so bad for me if you've gotta carry me back into town! What if the other Turks are ther-…"

"You're honestly expecting them to be there?"

I was shocked…I just stared at him, and he stared at me, one eyebrow raised. I wanted to cry, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me weak. I had to be stronger than that. I wanted to hit him so hard, but I wasn't in a state to even push him away, let alone hurt him. Not after the damage my body had taken…I'd just have to hit him later.

I couldn't bear to look at him. I felt so stupid…He'd made me feel like a fool, and I hated it…but it was only then after he had humiliated me with that cool, snappy sentence, that I realized something: I was all alone. What had I been thinking? The Turks weren't going to be there tonight, or tomorrow, just as they hadn't been here any previous nights. They weren't coming back. Hell, they could even be dead for all I knew…this thought upset me so much. I didn't want anything to have happened to them! Not to Reno…(as idiotic as our arguments were, he was kind of like a brother to me. I'd never appreciated him at all until the thought that I may never see him again hit me)… to Rude…(as silent as anything, he always knew the right thing to say or do to cheer me up when he was around. Like Reno, he was like a brother to me) to… Sir…no…Tseng…if anything had happened to him, I don't know what I'd do. That man meant more to me than he'd ever know…if anything had happened, then…what would I do? How would I carry on at all? Would I? I had to bite my bottom lip as hard as I could to stop tears from flowing down my cheeks…I recognized the bitter taste of blood in my mouth, but it was better than letting Valentine see me cry. I had to remain proud, and act in the way a professional Turk would act, even if I truly was the only one left now like those haunting thoughts were making me think. In times like these, it's too easy to think the worst.

Without a word, Valentine had begun on his way back to the inn, with me in his arms. I hated this. I hated being babied and treated like a child. I could take care of myself! But I was too weak to fight him…too upset and distracted to argue. He'd won this round, but I'd be sure not to let it happen again.

I gazed straight ahead as Valentine carried me. I was right. No Turks in sight. I sighed quietly, and shook my head, accidentally attracting Valentine's attention by doing so. He opened his mouth to speak, but I shot a glare in his direction. That shut him up…I didn't care if he was helping me or not: I was pissed off, injured, humiliated and upset. Not a good combination, so Valentine had better watch his tongue.

The rest of the way there was spent in total silence as we both ignored each other. Well, actually, I was doing most of the ignoring. He was casting the odd glance in my direction, but I pretended not to see. I didn't want to make eye contact, as I could feel a few sneaky tears welling up in my eyes. I hated myself for it. I hated being so weak.


	12. Vincent 6

**Something seems wrong to me in this chapter, but I can't put my finger on it. I'm considering re-writing this chapter, but I'll wait until I see what you guys think. .**

I won't pretend that I hadn't seen her tears…nor shall I pretend that those tears didn't make me feel something close to terrible…but there was nothing I could do for now. If I tried to speak, she would silence me with a glare, as though silently warning me to say nothing. If I looked in her direction, she would look away and pretend not to have seen. I wouldn't go out of my way to earn her forgiveness, but something inside of me admitted that a small apology of some description was necessary.

Once back at the inn, I was faced with a problem (other than Elena's anger) that I was unsure of how to remedy: How was I going to unlock and open the door while holding her? She was unable to stand without support, and so putting her down would be impossible until we were inside.

Elena had always been the impatient one. Whilst I was thinking of how to solve this problem, she sighed irritably, and forced herself to move a little. I made no protest, but at the same time, I worried for her. Shifting a little in my arms, she moved to a position that allowed her to reach where I had been storing the keys. I felt my eyes widen a little as her hand accidentally brushed against my body while she retrieved the room key. However, I was given no time to dwell on this, as my thoughts were interrupted by her annoyed grumbling of: "Men!" and such.

"It's 'cause your outfit is as inconvenient as it is extravagant!" she snapped somewhat angrily. In that moment, my mind was partly agreeing with her in more ways than one.

"_Yours, too."_ I felt like saying, (of course only referring to the part about it being 'inconvenient') but fortunately, my mouth remained shut. Wait…what the hell was I thinking? That…that wasn't something I wanted from her…I couldn't help but wonder then: What trouble would that little tease have gotten me into? Much, I imagine…considering that it was Elena that I was with at this moment. I wouldn't have truly meant it even if I had said it…as I have said: 'it' wasn't something I desired from her. All that had happened was that her accidental touch had just caught me off guard. That was all. Besides the brief surprise it had given me, it had been meaningless.

Reaching over, she shoved the key into the lock with some force (more so than was necessary, anyway…) and unlocked the door, opening it and removing the keys again on the way inside. I must have upset her more than I had first thought…

I was rather surprised at the condition of the room. Bullets were embedded in the walls, but that wasn't what had shocked me. The door of the bathroom had been hit by several waves of bullets by the looks of things, and large pieces of wood that had splintered off now rested on the floor.

Gently placing Elena down on the bed, I returned to the main door of the room and shut it. I could feel Elena's eyes burning in my back, as the coldest of chills rushed down my spine. "Elena, I…" I began, unsure of what I was going to say…perhaps it was an attempt at an apology, but before I even had the chance to find out, Elena had interrupted:

"Don't bother. I don't want to hear it," she grumbled, soon looking away and taking her icy glare with her. It seemed that my words had gotten me into quite some trouble with her, by the looks of things.

"As you wish," was all that I could think of to say. Her injuries were the priority right now, after all. I had remembered seeing a first-aid kit in one of the cupboards here somewhere, so I began searching for it.

My search had taken me to the bathroom, and I couldn't help but notice the shirt that I had lent her lying discarded on the ground. I didn't care about that…what concerned me was the amount of blood that had soaked it. This confirmed my worries that Elena's injuries were more serious than she would admit.

"If you're expecting me to wear one of your shirts again, you can forget it!" her voice called from the next room. Usually, I would have at least chuckled at that statement, or come back with something like: _"Not after the state my other one got into after I lent it to you,"_ but I did neither. I remained silent until I had found the first-aid kit, and returned to her side. In order to respond to her previous statement, I merely shook my head. "No. You needn't worry about that…"

Once more, the room was dominated by silence as I watched her, unsure of what to say. I knew that I ought to tend to her injuries, but how was I to ask her to allow me to without being rewarded with a slap (or maybe worse, knowing Elena…) for my efforts? Her gaze had been lingering on the first-aid kit that I was holding, and she gently took it from me rather than snatching it. Opening it up, she glanced over at me, and requested quietly: "Let me see it." Of course I knew that she was referring to my wound, but I stared at her, confused. Hers were by far worse…why was she concerned about my injuries when by now, I thought that she would be treating her own?

"What?"

"Your wound. Let me see it," she repeated, those honey-colored eyes never moving from my direction.

"Why? Yours are more-…"

"Valentine!" she snapped, the quiet gentleness immediately disappearing from her voice, her request sounding much more like an order. What was I to say to that? I had annoyed her enough already. By not letting her have her way, I would only be worsening matters. It felt as though I had no choice but to fulfill her request and allow her to see me wound. I only hoped that after this, she would allow me to tend to hers so that she would no longer have to suffer them. Elena was never the kind to admit that she was hurting, (I knew that well enough from what happened in the Northern Crater) but I knew. Although others may have been blinder to her pain as they believed her lies of 'I'm fine.' I wasn't quite so easy to fool. I knew…all due to the fact that Elena was easy to read. She was stubborn, naïve, and desperate to prove herself. Yes, that was she...

And so, a short sigh managing to escape me, I nodded once and decided to co-operate. Taking a moment or so to undo the several clasps that fastened my cape, I allowed it to fall to the bed. Once removing the top part of my leather outfit and casting my gauntlet aside, I took a moment to look down at the wound to my chest. It looked far more serious than it felt…several streams of blood seeped from it and trickled down my chest. I simply watched the thin rivers of crimson run…Eventually; I moved my attention to Elena. "Satisfied?"

I was surprised when I received no immediate answer. It was something quite strange…especially from Elena. Stranger still was the way in which she was looking at me…her eyes wide, and her lips slightly parted by just a fraction. As…attractive as her shocked silence was, it was unnerving. "Is something wrong?"

"…N…n-...n-no! No…um…nothing! I…I'm sorry." With that, she fell silent once more.

"Well. Now that you've had your fill…." I began, preparing to begin replacing my top and cloak, only to feel her grab my arm, stopping me from reaching for my top. "Wh-…?"

"Don't be stupid," she muttered.

'_Don't be stupid'?_ What in the world did that mean? How, may I ask… was preparing to get dressed 'stupid'?

"What?" I found myself asking, only to gain an irritated sigh as a response. Her temper was beginning to get on my nerves a little, indeed…but I did all that I could not to let it show. In any case, her actions soon answered my question: removing a piece of material from the first-aid kit, she also removed a small bottle, pouring a small amount of the contents on to the material in her other hand. Her gaze moved to my wound, and she moved a little closer, an expression of concentration taking over from her previously irritated one. Such concentration and seriousness…she looked almost…no. Forget it.

I soon felt the moisture of the liquid she had used contact my skin, and I had to stop myself from flinching as a dull stinging sensation began rushing through the wound. Such a sting felt odd in comparison to the softness of her touch as her other fingers (that weren't holding the material to my chest) gently brushed against my chest. Her touch felt almost soothing, and I found myself closing my eyes, shutting out the pain and only focusing on cherishing the minor bliss that her touch brought me…I didn't care that it was only accidental.

In truth, I didn't completely understand what I was feeling at that moment…even less why I was feeling it. To me, it was difficult enough to accept that her brief touch was enjoyable…I told myself that the reason why I wished to cherish such gentleness was merely because of the discomfort that the wound had brought me. That would remain my excuse. I felt nothing for her, as I have stated many times. There was no soft spot in my heart for her…_she_ was not the one I wanted, just as _I_ was not the one for her…and that was how things would remain. It was truly a mystery to me why I was giving such…trivial matters so much thought.

Feeling that soothing touch soon stop, my thoughts of her followed suit. My eyes sliding open, I gazed down at her as she rooted through the first-aid kit in search of bandages. For the first time in a while, I felt a smile flicker on my lips as I watched her, soon looking away when her search resulted in success and she turned back towards me, bandages in hand.

"Almost done," Elena stated softly, continuing on to wrap the bandages around my wound. All that I could do was watch until she was finished. After a few minutes, she tied the bandage after cutting off whatever was left, and smiled up at me, simply stating: "There. Done it."

"Thank you…" I began. I wondered how I would go about asking her if I could return the favor…however was I going to ask her to remove her shirt so that I could take a look at her injuries without her getting the wrong idea? After careful consideration, I decided that by hinting rather than directly asking, maybe I wouldn't come across as such…a 'pervert' as Elena had previously accused me of being. I would just have to try, and deal with her reaction. Taking a deep breath, I felt my cheeks warm considerably as a faint redness appeared across them…and then I spoke:

"Thank you, Elena. But…now it's your turn."


	13. Elena 6

**I've gotta admit that they feel a little OOC in this one, but I hope I'm wrong. I'll try to fix it in the next chapter which is Vincent's side of the story, so hopefully that'll explain things a little more.**

**Also: there might be some adult themes coming up soon, so I'll warn you here. I might change my mind, though, depending on how I feel about it/if they're relevent, and so on. **

**Remember to review, please! Thank you, and enjoy!**

* * *

Men really are ridiculous creatures, don't you think? Well…most of them, anyway. I always thought that Valentine was supposed to be the smart one from AVALANCHE…? If that's so, then I'm worried about the rest of them.

Getting to the door, he'd stopped, and was just staring blankly at it with some clueless look on his face. I mean, _honestly_!

I decided that the only way we were going to get inside was to take things into my own hands. Well, if _I_ didn't do something, he as sure as hell wasn't about to!

It hurt, but I made myself move while he stood there gawping at the door like that. _If I were a man, where would I keep my keys?_ I thought, pondering for a second. Well, he didn't look like he had any pockets on that weird outfit of his…what about under the cape? It was worth a shot. Ah-HA! Success!

With keys in hand, I decided to scold him…just a little. "Men!" I sighed, continuing on a little louder: "It's 'cause your outfit is as inconvenient as it is extravagant!" Well, it was true! His outfit was pretty ridiculous…not practical at all!

Anyway, I shoved the key in the door and opened it, completely ignoring the wide-eyed look on his face. What was up with him lately…? No, maybe it's better not to ask. Ah…I'd kind of forgotten about the state the hitman and I had left Valentine's room in. Whoops… Luckily, he didn't seem to care too much, but he looked quite shocked. Lately, that was starting to become more and more common!

After he'd put me down on the bed, he went back to the door. Feeling my eyes narrow, my gaze remained fixed on him. Yeah, I was still annoyed, alright? I'm a Turk. I should be treated with more respect! Well, apparently he sensed me looking at him or something, because he tried to speak to me.

"Elena, I…"

"Don't bother. I don't want to hear it." Sure, it was cold…but that never stopped him. Now it was _my _turn to make _him_ feel bad. Petty? I don't care.

"As you wish."

I couldn't do much else but watch him walk around and begin opening cupboards, looking for something. Then he went into the bathroom, leaving me sitting there in pretty much total confusion. A thought hit me then…what if he was looking for a towel and shirt again as some kind of revenge for how I had acted towards him…? I wasn't wearing any more of his clothes in front of him!

"If you're expecting me to wear one of your shirts again, you can forget it!"

That was a warning. If he came out of there now holding a shirt, I was out of there. I didn't care if I would have to crawl out. I refused to have him gawping at me again. Thankfully however, making me change my clothes wasn't what he had in mind. Instead, he came out of the bathroom holding a small white box. Sitting down beside me with the box (that I soon recognized as a first-aid kit) on his lap, he responded to my warning, reassuring me that he wouldn't make me wear something else of his.

"No. You needn't worry about that…"

_Thank the gods for that!_ I thought, as my gaze moved to the first-aid kit. Seeing that small white box, I couldn't help but recall the image of Valentine after the fight in the alley. Pale, covered in blood, but still determined to remain strong. Taking the first-aid kit from him, I decided to take action again. I knew he wouldn't treat his wound himself. He wasn't the kind of guy to put himself first, so I'd have to tend to it for him if it was going to be done at all.

"Let me see it." I soon found myself asking, looking up at him and forgetting my anger with him for only a few moments.

"What?"

What did he mean 'what'? What else could I possibly have been referring to?! Actually…don't answer that.

"Your wound. Let me see it." I repeated, hoping that _now_ he would understand.

"Why? Yours are more-…"

"Valentine!" All of this modest, noble, gentlemanly crap was really starting to get on my nerves right now. It didn't help that he had already pissed me off beforehand. Sure, I admire the whole 'ladies first', polite attitude in a man…hell, it's one of the things I look for in a guy, but now was really not the time for it. His wound was serious, and he knew it. Whether he _knew_ that he knew it, I have no idea.

Finally, he co-operated. And man…was I surprised! Off came the cape…and off came the shirt…and wow…. just…wow.

…I'd never thought of him in this way before, but he was pretty damned…well…. um…sexy, I guess was the word. Even the wound was kind of hot…

All of my anger seemed to just melt away in that moment as I sat there in silence, staring at his chest: soft, firm, pale skin…not too much muscle, but not too little, either…strong arms connected to broad shoulders, over which flowed his dark hair… My gaze traveled to the wound in the center of his chest. The sword must have gouged pretty deep to create such an injury. Blood flowed from it, and trickled slowly down his otherwise flawless, perfect body… for a second there, I wanted nothing more than to wipe that blood away…to touch him in so many places…to…kiss his chest…his lips…that blood… and make it better…to make his hurting go away and make him forget all about pain. Maybe I'd make him feel some kind of bliss…What?! No way! What was I thinking?! This was _Valentine_ I was talking about! Valentine wasn't the one I wanted! I wanted Tseng, not Valentine! Maybe I was thinking these thoughts because I missed Tseng…yeah, that was it! It had to be! I was supposed to be pissed off at Valentine…not…lusting after him! But…I felt kind of…like I…almost…

"Is something wrong?"

His rough voice interrupted my thoughts, and I snapped out of my sick fantasies. I didn't understand…I didn't like him before, but suddenly I wanted him? This made no sense. Best just to ignore it. My mind was playing tricks on me. I. Love. Tseng. That's the way things would stay!

"N…n-…n-no! No…um…nothing! I…I'm sorry." Why was I stuttering?

"Well. Now that you've had your fill…"

'Had my fill'? What did he mean by that? My thoughts were distracted yet again when I noticed him reaching for his top and cloak. Did he really believe I was gonna let him keep that wound? Yes. That's why I stopped him, ok? I was worried about his wound…

"Don't be stupid."

"What?"

I couldn't help but notice how he kept asking me that. 'What?' 'What?' he says…well, how was I meant to answer 'What?' without sounding totally patronizing? I didn't know, so I didn't speak. I just acted. I put some antiseptic on a piece of material from the first-aid kit, and began cleaning up his wound. I felt his body tense beneath my touch, but there wasn't really anything I could do about that. He stayed completely still and silent, but when I glanced up at his face, I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were shut. Was it hurting that badly?

I'd taken my hand away a little more reluctantly than I'd hoped to…well…it wasn't my fault! He had really…. soft skin, ok? Turning back towards the small first-aid kit for a moment, I finally found some bandages in there. I couldn't help but ask myself: _Why the heck are the bandages at the very bottom of the box? Surely they should be at the top?_ In any case, I'd found them now.

"Almost done." Now was the easy part. All I had to do was wrap the bandages around him, and fasten them securely. Easy! "There. Done it." I told him, feeling a smile on my lips as I looked up at him again.

"Thank you…" He was silent for a minute or two, staring at me. Thankfully, he continued. "Thank you, Elena. But…now it's your turn."

Okay, I didn't like the sound of that. 'My turn'? My turn to do _what_, exactly? Now I was the one to say it: "What?"

Silent for a few minutes again, he just leant forward and gently slid my jacket off of my shoulders, moving on to begin unbuttoning my shirt. I hadn't been expecting that! Especially not from him! What on Earth did he think he was doing?! I sat there frozen in shock, my eyes wide and staring. Why couldn't I pull myself together? I wasn't seriously going to let him do this, was I?! This was my punishment for thinking those thoughts about him, wasn't it? Oh gods, help!

"W-w…what…what the hell are you doing?!"

"I will do nothing indecent…I know your injuries are serious. I just want to take a look, alright…?"

"_Not_ alright!!" How was it in any way 'alright'?! You don't just start taking a girl's shirt off! It's not right!

"There's a lot of blood on your shirt, and on mine, too. It's worried me… I'm treating those wounds, Elena...You insisted that you tend to mine, and you did so. I'm returning the favor." Nice excuse, Valentine...I honestly thought he was a gentlemen, but he's just proved me wrong, hasn't he?

I told you that I wouldn't let him win again, right? That was a lie. He just won again. I don't properly recall what happened, but the next thing I knew: my shirt was off, lying behind me, discarded on the bed.

"I-…I…" What could I say? What was there to say at a time like this?!

"Don't be frightened…just trust me. Please."


	14. Vincent 7

**All comments are appreciated. I want to thank everyone for reading along so far! I never expected this to get people's interest, so I'm very flattered that youve taken time to review and read so far. **

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Ah. Even my hint hadn't gone down too well, it seems. Her eyes wide, she stared at me in confusion. Eventually, a question slipped from her lips: "What?" 

I hadn't felt comfortable telling her that it was her turn…there is no polite way of asking a woman to remove her shirt for even the purest of purposes. Then again…how pure could the purpose _be_ if it involved such a thing? All I had done was hint that I wished to check her wounds, and she had become afraid. That wasn't how it was supposed to be, but I was a fool for believing that it would be any other way, I suppose. If I had felt perverted before…I felt even more so for what I had done next…

I have good reason for doing what I did. I knew that if I didn't look at her wounds, then she wouldn't do it herself. Elena would continue pretending that nothing was wrong, and I couldn't allow that. I couldn't watch her force this suffering upon herself for the purpose of appearing tough. So you see, I carried out this next action for her benefit, although that may seem hard to believe. Yes, you may scoff, and pass it off as just another excuse to see her in such a vulnerable state, but I know that I did the right thing…

With no warning, nor with any hint or sign, I had moved closer to her, gently removing her jacket. Next I had moved on to unbuttoning her shirt. That certainly didn't go down well…but I got off lightly. I was expecting her to hit me, but she sat there in what looked like utter confusion and fear.

"W-w…what…what the hell are you doing?!"

She would certainly hate me after this, I feared…but yet I didn't stop.

"I will do nothing indecent…I know your injuries are serious. I just want to take a look, alright…?" Was I honestly foolish enough to believe that she would just say: 'Alright, then!' and allow me to continue? She would do no such thing…

"_Not_ alright!!"

I then tried to explain again, already knowing that I had lost any of her trust that I had managed to gain just by doing this. "There's a lot of blood on your shirt, and on mine, too. It's worried me…I'm treating those wounds, Elena… You insisted that you tend to mine, and you did so. I'm returning the favor."

That had silenced her, giving me the opportunity to slip her shirt off, allowing it to fall to the bed. Strangely, she had made no protest, and had allowed me to do that. Maybe she finally understood...just maybe...

"I-…I…"

Placing one finger gently on her lips to silence her, I shook my head. I hated having to see her sit there in such fear and confusion, especially as I had been the one to cause it…but I had to do this. It was only when I looked away from her face and down at her body that I too, froze. It was just like her reaction to when she had seen me shirtless…I felt that staring at her in such a way was wrong, but I couldn't control it. I cannot be sure of what was running through my mind just then as I admired her, taking in every feature down to the last gentle curve. With her pale skin, soft blonde hair and wide honey eyes, she reminded me somewhat of some flawless doll. I'll admit that she did...appear...beautiful, I suppose...now that I had seen more... My eyes continued to take in her appearance, and came to the pale outlines of the scars that covered her body from the torture that she and Tseng had suffered in the Northern Crater. Ah...Tseng. Her love interest...the one she wanted. He, and not I...but why did I care? Why did I care about the situation between she and her superior? The dark-haired Wutaian who had turned a blind eye to her feelings so many times? Who had left her standing there with her heart in her hand? The man who had cast her feelings aside and ignored them...ignored _her_ as she did all that was in her power to get his attention? The situation between those two Turks was none of my concern, so why was I thinking about it in such depth? Maybe my thoughts were something along these lines: 'He doesn't like her in such a way. He doesn't love her. He couldn't care less about the girl...so what had he done to deserve her heart and her attentions? Surely _I _should be the one to get that attention from her...? By now, I must have proved that I care about her more than Tseng ever could...more than Tseng ever _would_...so why does she not offer her heart to me with such hope and wanting as she does to him? I would accept it without hesitation. Why does she not offer her love to me?' But...her heart and her love...they were not things that I had ever wanted. What _had_ I ever wanted from her? Nothing, surely? I didn't know what it was about her...but ever since the Northern Crater 'incident', I had felt strange things around her...I had thought strange thoughts...asked myself strange questions, and so on. These things had been so much easier to ignore and cast aside, as she and I had never been in a situation where we would have to work together or pay any mind to each other...but those times were gone. Right now, we were (in a way) working together. Right now, we were paying mind to each other, and realizing the other's existence. My thoughts and feelings had been much less complicated and confused when she was just a Turk and I was just with AVALANCHE, but those days were over. Nothing was 'just' anything anymore, except for me. I was 'just' confused, I suppose. I was 'just' in a situation where now, I 'just' wanted nothing more than to touch her. I 'just' wanted to do more than that, as well...

I wish I could explain what I was thinking and feeling in those moments there, but sadly, even _I_ cannot understand. Nor can I remember what I was thinking when I placed my hands on her shoulders, gently sliding my hands down her arms and feeling her tremble beneath my touch. It was a wonderful feeling…but I was disgusted with myself for enjoying her fear in such a way. My thoughts had resulted in me momentarily forgetting about her wounds...that is, until she flinched as my hand slid down her left arm. "I…I'm sorry." What had come over me to cause me to think in such a way? To do such things? It seemed that spending time with Elena was resulting in more confusion...more unanswered questions. What was happening?

And so I left my cruel fantasies behind as I now concentrated on aiding her, treating her left arm as best as I could. Her left arm was full of bullets, and so for now, was useless. I could tell that she had put a lot of strain on it and forced it to function, due to the fact that it no longer would for now...and chances were that her left arm would not function normally for quite a while. I heard her pained whimper as I removed the bullets, and I felt her body twitch as I applied antiseptic. For now, the only other thing I could do was to bandage her arm, and hope for the best...and I did so. Afterwards, I moved my attention to the bullet holes in her back and shoulder. Simple to tend to, yes…but I would have to risk hurting her again in order to help. "You'll hate me for this, Elena." I murmured softly, examining the injuries. "But I'll make it up to you."

"W-w-...what?"

"Hold still."

"W-…" Her question was silenced when I began to remove the bullets from her body. She hissed in either anger or pain, tensing and shutting her eyes tightly. "Don't…!"

"Ssh..." I whispered, pitying her, but not pausing for one moment. Ignoring her quiet gasps of pain, I finally finished removing all of the bullets, dropping them on to the bed beside me. (I was unsure of what else I could really do with them, in all honesty.) Applying antiseptic to each of the bullet holes, I gently touched her shoulder in order to assure her that I had finished with the bullets. Feeling her relax a little beneath me, I couldn't help but smile at least a little...but I wasn't completely finished with her yet. I looked her up and down, trying to find any more injuries. I found the final ones: a series of large grazes on her side, which had scraped quite a bit of her skin on her side raw. I assumed that this traveled down to her leg, which would explain why she was having difficulty walking…or even standing. "Um…"

How would I ask this next question…? Removing her _shirt_ had been difficult enough…

I would have to hint again. I gulped nervously, gently placing my hand over the large grazes (gently so as not to hurt her) I slowly ran my hand down her side, feeling her silky skin and loathing the injury for not allowing me a better grip on her. I stopped a her waist, and then looked to her, trying to hint that if I were to treat it, she would have to allow me to proceed further. Oh, how she would hate me... the look on her face said it all. 'You can't be serious?!' seemed to be almost painted on her face, as though begging me to tell her that this was some sort of joke.

"I'm sorry...um..."

"You-...you're kidding, right? You've gotta be kidding!"

"I'm afraid not."

"Why can't I just do this myself?!"

"Because I know that you won't...you'd lie and carry on with the wound...or at least try to. I imagine that the injury you have there wouldn't allow you to get very far. You would be in no fit state to go and find your friends...and if that bastard found you again, you would be in no condition to fight back. So that is why if I tend to this now, all that you would need is rest rather than a hospital bed."

Well, she seemed to understand. Almost. The words 'hospital bed' didn't seem to appeal to her very much, as she hesitated for a moment, before shutting her eyes and slowly removing the rest of her uniform. Believe me, this was as difficult for me to witness as it was for her to do it. It was all I could do to stop those confusing thoughts from returning. Now that she was so exposed to me, she didn't seem to want to so much as look at me, and so she kept her eyes shut.

"Thank you..." I heard myself mutter as I observed her wound. As I had thought, the skin from just below her waist down to her knee had been scraped raw, and was releasing blood. I assumed that if I touched the wound, it would hurt her...but it would only be for a moment. I proceeded to clean the scrape, feeling her twitch and hearing her whimpers of discomfort. I tried to ignore them. I couldn't leave the scrape the way it was, or else it would get worse. Once it was cleaned, I covered it up with yet another bandage. I was finished, but her eyes were still shut...so I used this an an oppertunity to get a better look at her again.

Soft, pale skin with ghostly outlines of scars in even the most uncomfortable of places. Those scars were no doubt, a haunting memory of a time full of fear. Her frame was slender, small, and the perfect size to wrap my arms right around and hold her close. I knew that I would not be able to...and...would I ever want to? Ah, there they were again. Yet more questions. Pushing them aside, I looked at her again. My gaze lingered on her chest..(yes, by now I felt extremely perverted...I couldn't control it. I didn't know what had come over me in that moment. This...this isn't like me at all.) I couldn't seem to tear my gaze away from her chest...her breasts were the perfect size and shape. Luckily, she was wearing a bra, or else...I don't know what I would have done. I couldn't seem to control myself right now. My gaze wandered further down, past her waist, to her thighs. A place where I would never be admitted entrance, no doubt. In this moment, she was...attractive. Vulnerable. Unaware of my longing gaze on her body...

Why was I longing? What was I longing for?

Why did I only seem interested in the more...sensitive...parts of her body?

I couldn't help myself...I softly brushed by fingers against the tender skin of her inner thigh. I would move no higher than that... She tensed, biting her bottom lip, and so I ceased and moved my hand to stroke some hair out of her face, I muttered: "All done." I couldn't stand this situation any longer...I know that my thoughts of her were bad...I know that I was wrong to watch her in such a way, but...as I have said before: control isn't something that I have right now. You may think that I am making excuses. Perhaps I was. Whatever I was feeling in that moment, I was either unaware of, or just too ashamed to admit to myself. Before I had the chance to decide, those sweet, gentle honey eyes soon opened, and gazed over at me. Me, and nothing else. I was suddenly very aware of her looking and me, and felt the need to look away.

I was right...she truly was...beautiful.

_Too_ beautiful...


	15. Elena 7

**Again, I want to thank everyone so much for being so positive about this fanfic! I really appreciate your feedback. Thank you, everyone! I promise that I'll try my best to keep updating as often as I can, and I'll keep writing as best as I can, too! **

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How could he act so casually about this situation! He was expecting me to take off my top, and yet not to be frightened! You can't have it both ways!

"I-...I..."

His finger touched against my lips softly, and after I felt that, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Words wouldn't come. This wasn't fair! Why...why was I so affected by that simple action? One simple touch of my lips and I'd completely frozen. What was happening to me? I didn't get it...then again, it felt like my mind and body had both stopped working at all right now. All because he'd just touched a finger against my lips to politely shut me up!

I felt my eyes widen, and I felt ridiculous. Why? Because I was sitting there shirtless, staring wide-eyed at Valentine with so may thoughts spinning around in my head:

_What's going on!_

_He's...so...hot... _

_What do I do? _

_Say something, Elena! Wake up, girl! Do you have a crush on him or something! You're just staring! You look weird!_

_But...he's staring at me...too..._

Me? Have a crush on Valentine? Don't make me laugh! But...I was right about one thing: those...bewitching crimson eyes were staring at me in a weird way, but it's hard to explain why it was so weird. His eyes were fixed on me, and it was making me uneasy...but all I could do was stare back and try to understand what I was feeling right then. Maybe I was trying to decide what he was feeling, too. Don't laugh, but I was sure I could sense a little hint of longing in those eyes. Maybe that was just my imagination. But if it was my imagination...Why would I imagine him looking at me longingly?

Before I even had a chance to answer my own question, his finger had moved from my lips, and his hands were now gently placed on my shoulders...slowly and gently sliding down my arms. I was a little confused...this wasn't what I imagined Valentine to be like at all! I always thought he was cold, silent, and someone who hated being touched...What had gotten into him? But...I'll admit one thing: it felt kind of nice... My body enjoyed the feeling of his hands touching it (even if it was just my arms) so much that I felt myself begin to shudder a little. However, my confusion was also there. Confusion always develops into fear in times like this, right? My shuddering turned into trembling as his touch moved slowly and gently down my arms. It was hurting my left arm, though. Because I was so confused by it all, (well...it had happened pretty suddenly, right?) the pain shooting through my left arm at his touch took longer than usual to register, and eventually I realised just how much it hurt at that moment. My arm involuntarily flinched, and his hands immediately stopped their movement. Part of me was glad that he had stopped...whereas the other part was a little disappointed. 

"I...I'm sorry." I heard him mutter.

_No! No, don't be sorry! _Part of my mind was screaming, while the other part of me thought: _Yeah! You should be!_ This argument in my mind made me counfused about how _I_ felt. What should I say? For once, I didn't know. What could I have possibly said, anyway? Who knows? Well, not me...that's for sure. On he went, aiding me and so on. It only lasted a few minutes at most, but to be honest, it felt like hours of painful stings and soothing words from Valentine...Soon, I thought it had finally ended and he was gonna let me go...that is, 'til I saw the look on his face.He was looking me up and down with a look of worry. At first, I thought he'd found something really badly wrong with me, making me worry a little, too. Again, he soon proved me wrong...and again, he shocked me quite a bit. 

After a nervous pause, I felt one strong, firm hand make contact with my bare side over the big graze that was still stinging. I tensed a little, my eyes widening in both shock and mild pleasure. (MILD pleasure, ok!) It was all I could do not to gasp as he slid that hand down my side towards my waist. To..my waist...why was he touching my waist? What did he want? Then it hit me. Where did that graze go? Past my WAIST down to my leg...it was a hint! What was I supposed to do _now_!

"I'm sorry...um..." 

This had to be a joke. It just had to be..right? RIGHT? He wasn't actually expecting me to...to... no way! Ok, I had to be sure, though..

"You-...you're kidding, right? You've gotta be kidding!"

"I'm afraid not." 

NO! No way! He was expecting me to get practically naked in front of him just so he could treat some scratch? I could do that myself, thanks!

"Why can't I just do this myself?" Yes, I was a little angry. Sure, he was only trying to help...but could he _seem_ any more perverted about it! Besides: I was perfectly capable of doing this myself! I wasn't a child!

"Because I know that you won't...you'd lie and carry on with the wound...or at least try to. I imagine that injury you have there wouldn't allow you to get very far. You would be in no fit state to go and find your friends...and if that bastard found you again, you would be in no condition to fight back. So that is why if I tend to this now, all that you would need is rest rather than a hospital bed."

Hospital bed? No thanks! I'd wasted enough time already! I couldn't tell whether or not the 'go and find your friends' was sarcastic or not...since when did he believe that they were alive, anyways? Last I'd heard, he thought I was stupid for even thinking about that! Anyway...alive or not, I wasn't gonna give up. So...for now, (even though I didn't wanna admit it to him) Valentine was right...I guess...just this once, though..ok? So that was why I co-operated, keeping my eyes shut as I discarded the rest of my uniform. I felt so stupid...this was really embarrassing! Luckily I managed to keep my blush under control though, somehow.

"Thank you..." 

Eh? Did he just _thank_ me? Weird...I would've thought he'd want thanks _from_ me, or something, but hey, whatever's good for him.

Well, here we go again. that horrible stinging, and stuff. I couldn't wait for it to end, as I could feel myself twitching, and I knew he could feel it too. I must've seemed so weak to him! A Turk who can't even manage a few stings..it's pathetic! It's humiliating! 

Finally, it all ended and I felt the security of a tight bandage being wrapped around me and fastened. His touch was removed from me, and I felt my body both groan in disappointment and sigh in relief. Confusing really, isn't it? Anyway, even when his touch was taken away, I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. I was expecting something to come next, but I didn't know what, really. Though...there was a feeling right at the back of my mind...I couldn't help but feel like I was...being watched, you know? Maybe I was just a bit paranoid right then 'cause of my...um..'situation'. But what if someone was looking at me? What if it was..him? 

After a few minutes, my suspiscions were confirmed in the most surprising way possible, I think. Again, I forced myself to supress a gasp as I felt it...I felt his fingers caressing my inner thigh. I hated it...and...

...loved it...

Why did I love it? Was I imagining that those torturous fingers belonged to Tseng?

Nope...I knew that it was Valentine who was doing it, so why did I enjoy it so much?

Whatever the answer to that question was, (and I was gonna find out someday even if it drove me insane!) I soon forgot it as I closed my eyes tighter, my teeth biting down on my bottom lip as the part of my mind that begged him to quit teasing me and move higher already drowned out the part that screamed at him to get his hands off me...

And then he stopped. He stopped to gently stroke my hair out of my face and announce in a mutter:"All done."

Nice one, Valentine...way to piss on my parade! Nice job(!)

When I'd opened my eyes, he was looking away as though he was scared to look at me. All of that...and _he_ was acting scared? What about me? I'd just been touched after being made to take my uniform off...I was still able to look at _him_! Man...

Even so, I gazed at him for a little while longer, taking in the uneasy look on his face at that moment and examining the light blush on his pale cheeks. On his _cheeks.._so...why had my gaze travelled down to his chest? I...I...I couldn't look away...why couldn't I look away? Had I lost control, or something? What if he looked at me again and saw me staring at his chest like this..? What kind of weird excuse would I need for that? 

"I assume that you...like what you see, then?" That rough voice spoke after a few minutes, and I froze, feeling my eyes widening. I'd been caught, just like I'd feared. Funnily enough, he didn't sound all that confused. In fact, he sounded more...amused. "I-...I...I was...-" I began trying to explain, but in times like this, words never really come to mind, do they? Well, I didn't even have to think up an excuse, because he placed his hand under my chin and lifted my head to look up at his face. My eyes were still wide, and stared up at his crimson ones, which gazed straight back into mine, sending shivers down my spine and through the rest of my body. 

"Shhh..." he murmured in that un-naturally soothing way he had. A finger of his free hand was then placed against my lips again to silence me. "Don't speak, Elena...just for now...just allow me to cherish this much of you..."


	16. Vincent 8

**Thanks for the comments! They encourage me to write and keep updating **

**Though I can't help but feel that I keep going a little out of character for each of them...but I'm trying! I'm not proud to announce that I have a complete plan in my head of what's to come, so I know what I'm doing now! Yay!**

**(I might re-do this chapter depending on the comments I get...so your opinions and feedback really matter, everyone! I have a very strong feeling that something about this chapter isn't right, but I might just be imagining things.)**

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I felt her gaze, there. I could sense her...those soft, almost golden eyes were simply staring at me, and no-one else. Me, alone.

My cheeks felt just slightly warmer than usual. I suppose I must have been faintly blushing...from shame? Yes, most likely. After what I had asked of her, and how I had touched her, of course I would feel shame. I had made her seem so vulnerable, and now I felt ashamed due to that. That was all.

Hm...I suppose you think me a liar...

As do I. I was beginning to wonder how long I would continue to lie to myself like this...

Would I ever stop denying the truth?

But...what was the complete truth?

Opening my eyes after a matter of moments, I gazed down at the young blonde...only to find that I had been correct. She was indeed staring at me. In fact: she was staring at my bare chest...again. It amused me slightly that she stared in such a way, but was unaware of my gaze on her as she did so. In a way, her vulnerability was somewhat...cute.

I watched her for only a little longer, before deciding that it was now time to break the silence. "I assume that you...like what you see, then?"

Why would it matter if she did, I wonder? In truth, I hadn't completely thought through what I was to say before saying it...and it showed. I just hoped that she wouldn't think too much of it...didn't I? Was that truly what I was hoping? Or did I want her to think of it as a hint of sorts? A...suggestion? (No...I apologize. I should not be asking you these questions...but they were beginning to confuse me so...yet I imagine that you must be tiring of them. )

Her eyes widened, and I had to stop myself from smirking as this thought came to mind: as I had mentioned previously, she reminded me so much of a porcelain doll...especially now. Such wide eyes, fair skin and light hair complimenting the face that already appeared so beautiful...and beneath, was a perfectly shaped body. It was unfortunate that such a lovely 'doll' had been scratched...damaged previously by Kadaj and his gang, and now just an hour or so ago by a man whose name neither of us knew. Elena then spoke, distracting me from my thoughts and the odd comparison I had been making.

"I-...I...I was...-"

I didn't wish to hear lies in the form of excuses, so I decided to interrupt, in order to spare her the trouble of trying to think of something to say. I wanted her...but not her words. Not the lies, anyway. Just to preserve the look on her face in my memory was what I wanted. I felt very out of character in that moment...but I suppose that being around her...that was what was changing me. Previously, I had felt normal, but not anymore...I didn't feel quite like myself.

Before I had realised what I was doing, one of my hands was supporting her chin, lifting her head in order to allow me to make eye contact with her. Our eyes met, and kept contact. I felt her shudder, but decided not to react. Instead, I placed one finger from my free hand against her lips in order to tell her that I didn't want to hear whatever it was she was planning to say. "Shhh...don't speak, Elena...just for now...just allow me to cherish this much of you..."

"'C...c...cherish'? What do you mean 'cherish'...?"

"To cherish something means to-.."

"I know what the _word_ means! What do _you_ mean?!" She certainly didn't sound happy, but then again, I had not tried to dodge her question in the most intelligent way, I'll admit. What I couldn't work out was whether or not she was angry...I would have to be more careful when I next spoke.

"A good question. Though it is one that I am...unsure...of how to answer, I suppose..."

"Then why did you say it if you didn't know what you meant?"

"Are you trying to suggest that you have never spoken without thinking?"

She looked away, and the corners of her lips tilted to make a small frown. Maybe I had said the wrong thing...it seemed as though I was doing that more often, recently. Shivering a little, she reached for her shirt. She stopped, her eyes burning into me a split-second afterwards. Why was she glaring at me in such a way?

"What?!" she demanded in an irritable, snapping tone. 'What' what? What had I done?

Ah. I see. By looking just a little closer, I had found the problem. Somehow, without me realising, my hand had reached out and firmly taken hold of her wrist, preventing her from picking up her shirt. Now I realised why she seemed so angry. She sat there shivering, awaiting an answer with impatience and mild fury burning in her bright, soft eyes. Yet again, I had no answer to give, unfortunately...and I had a feeling that if I tried to think of one, I would uncover yet more confusing questions of my own.

Sighing, obviously tired of waiting, she used her free hand to snatch my cape and put that on around herself instead...or at least..._tried_ to. That particular item of clothing was rather tricky to do up with two hands, let alone one. I would offer to help her, of course...if she asked for my help, --which I knew she would never do. She was far too stubborn and independent to ever request help with anything-- but for now just watching her struggle with the clasps of the cape was rather...amusing, I am reluctant to admit...

She gave up, eventually, just as I expected she would. With an impatient snarl, she let go of the cape and allowed it to fall to the bed once more. Tugging her arm from my grip, I had no choice but to release her, wincing as I heard her whimper of pain. I had been foolish enough to grasp her injured left arm...

"W...w...why won't anything ever go right?!" I was surprised to hear her mutter with an almost inaudible sob. Blinking, I glanced over at her. Had the cape really upset her that much...? No...there had to be more to it than just that. There had to be more things that she had surpressed which were now surfacing all at once in the form of tears. Worries, fears, and so on.

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping to be of at least a little comfort. However, she gave no answer, simply shaking her head instead. I watched as she bit down hard on her bottom lip, drawing blood. Her eyes shut tightly, her body shivering...trembling...and her arms wrapped protectively around her as though to shield and protect herself from everything. I watched until I felt that I could take it no more. Right now, I couldn't just watch her cry. I couldn't ignore her this time.

Placing my hand carefully on her right shoulder, I gently pulled her towards me, wrapping one arm firmly around her and stroking her hair softly with one hand, holding her close with the other. Strangely, she made no protests or attempts to pull away, and simply allowed me to hold her and comfort her. Her breath was warm against my chest, sending chills down my spine...I leant forward a little, breathing in the scent of her hair...I couldn't help but allow for my eyes to slide closed just for one moment as I did so. The tears that rolled down her cheeks caused my chest to become damp, but I did my best to ignore that feeling, just concentrating on making her feel better instead. Concentrating on her, and how she felt in my arms. The addictive, feminine, sweet smell of her hair. After a while, her trembling and shivering slowly began to lessen, and I opened my eyes again. That was when I heard myself speak.

"...Elena...?"

"I know! I already know I'm weak, ok?! I know!!" Perhaps she hadn't calmed as much as I thought she had...she still sounded rather upset.

"Shhh...no, no...that's not it..." I murmured, aiming to plant a soft kiss on the top of her head...just to soothe and comfort her. Nothing more.

The reason why I used the words 'aiming to'...was because that was my original intention.

However, as with most things where aim is involved, it is possible to...miss your target...isn't it? That is what happened next...

I had aimed to softly kiss her hair...

She had moved a little in order to glance up at me, but it was now too late for me to change my intention.

I had aimed for her hair.

I had caught her lips.


	17. Elena 8

Of course I was shocked! How often does someone like Valentine randomly tell you to shut up 'cause they want to 'cherish' you? Often? Nope, I didn't think so. It's not like it's a normal thing to say to someone, you know? That's why I was so surprised. I didn't know what to make of it, or even really what to say next, but I struggled to force a question out anyway. Well, it was either that or an awkward silence...and I've got to say that awkward silences are never good. Ever.

"'C...c...cherish'? What do you mean 'cherish'?"

"To cherish something means to-..."

I had no choice but to stop him right there. Just how dumb did he think I was? Of course I know what 'cherish' means. That wasn't even my question, was it? His answer had been pretty irrelevent, --unless I had actually worded my question badly, then that's fair enough, I guess-- making it obvious that he was trying to dodge the question because he was hiding something. What would he be hiding, though. Gah...actually, don't even get me started on _that._ I guess as it's Valentine we're talking about, that question would take way too long to answer. He seems like the type of guy who goes out of his way to be mysterious, so we'd better let him have his privacy...but you get what I'm trying to say, right? Though I've gotta admit...the whole 'cherish' thing was beginning to feel just a little suspiscious. And it definitely wasn't just my imagination this time!

"I know what the _word_ means! What do _you_ mean?!

If you're going to insult the lion's intelligence, expect the claws...or something like that. I could see that he regretted the answer he'd given me, though, so I was hoping that he'd give a better, more informative answer this time.

"A good question. Though it is one that I am...unsure...of how to answer, I suppose."

Nice. Real nice, Valentine. He's so cruel...he'll keep me guessing until it drives me insane, won't he? I just know it. This wasn't fair at all! His answer sounded pretty lame to me, and I soon let him know that I wasn't buying his little 'I don't know' act. I wanted an answer, so I was going to get one whether he liked it or not!

"Then why did you say it if you didn't know what you meant?"

"Are you trying to suggest that you have never spoken without thinking?"

Ouch...really, just...ouch. He didn't have to say it like that...I felt like a real idiot after hearing that! 'You talk too much, Elena!' I remembered hearing the others say, and now I'd just been reminded of it all over again. A girl needs to talk, you know...? But I guess...I guess I did sound like a bit of a hypocrite just then. I, of all people should know how words can just kinda slip out without meaning anything, but no! No, no! I had to jump to conclusions, didn't I? 'Oooo cherish? That has to mean something!' I sicken myself sometimes. Really, I do. What was I honestly expecting? That he'd suddenly blurt out some meaningful speech about how much he loved me? Hahaha...as if. As if I'd want that from him. As if anyone would ever do that for a Turk. Right? I'm so stupid...and I'd never been as aware of that fact as I was right now. Well, even so, it was my turn to look away in embarrassment now, and I felt my lips curve down into a small frown as my eyes stung with tears of self-pity. I fought them down, though. I'd gotten used to having to surpress my tears. Waiting for only a minute or so longer, I suddenly felt aware of how exposed I was to him right now. I must've looked ridiculous...

I reached for my shirt, only to have a strong hand grasp my left wrist. It was all I could do not to hit him! He'd just treated my injuries! He _knew_ that my left arm was the injured one! I'd never thought of Valentine as one to purposefully hurt someone for what seemed like no reason. Maybe he was punishing me for my stupidity? Nah...he wouldn't do it in such a harsh way, though, would he? That's what I thought. Then again, what did _I _know?

"What?!" I heard myself rudely demand as I found myself glaring at him. I knew that it wasn't really him that I was mad at...it was me. I was pissed off with myself...how couldn't I be? I was getting so frustrated being the useless, stupid woman that I was...and I felt so awful for taking that anger out on him. I was surprised he hadn't just pushed me away by now. Hell, I know I would've. But then...that was who _I_ was. _That_ was me. Thinking of myself as that girl...her...that made me so angry. That was why I was sitting there so impatiently and angrily. It was nothing to do with Valentine, really. The only thing he'd done wrong --besides answer my questions badly-- was speak to me in the first place.

I heard myself sigh as I watched my free hand dart forwards to grab his cape. Yeah, I couldn't control it anymore. The brattiness, the anger, and all that. I felt it inside me, welling up in there and just waiting to erupt like some kind of freakish volcano, but I couldn't calm it. The only way to get rid of my anger is to let it out in some way, and I guess that's what I was trying to do by getting stressed with Valentine. I felt him watching me as I struggled to try and put his cape on single handedly. Well, that was decent of him, wasn't it?! Jeez...well, anyway...I kept trying, but the cape kept falling away from my shoulders. I was right. His costume really was as inconvenient as it was extravagant. How the hell did he cope with all these buckles and clasps, and all the other ridiculous stuff he had hanging off his clothes? It was nothing but confusing to me!

The cape slipped away from my shoulders, and fell to the bed with a soft thump. I gave up...everything wouldn't stop going wrong. Everything had been good enough until I came to the Nibel area with the other Turks! This place was cursed...it had to be! How else would you explain all that had happened?! Id lost the other Turks, met Valentine (and had been more confused ever since, as a result), ran into a bunch of psychopaths, found out that the other Turks could all be dead by now, found out that I was probably gonna die, too (though that didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore) and now I couldn't even do up a fucking cape! That was it. I'd had enough. Snarling, I pulled my arm from his grip, feeling another pang of self-loathing as I heard myself whimper in pain. And now, the icing on the cake. The last crumb of the cookie. However pathetic I seemed in that moment was summarised nicely with a simple sob of:

"W..w...why won't anything ever go right?!"

There you have it. An eruption of weakness, anger and frustration in the form of some pathetic tears! Come on, then: go ahead and mock me. Laugh. I know you want to. My mind was mocking me, and I know that Reno...Reno probably would've...

"What do you mean?" That dark, strange voice questioned of me. Well, now it was my turn to give him a lame answer. I just shook my head, not really wanting to say anything. It would've taken way too long to explain even if I'd wanted to!

I was a mess. My lip was bleeding because I'd bitten it, and my eyes were tightly shut so that I wouldn't have to look at Valentine. My arms were both wrapped around me so that he wouldn't look at me anymore. Then again, by now he'd probably looked away in disgust. (I couldn't tell for sure because eyes were shut, and in a way I was scared to open them.) 'And she calls herself a Turk?' That was probably what he was thinking. I know it was what _I_ was thinking.

Almost all those negative thoughts disappeared when I felt something large, strong and warm against my right shoulder, though. I felt myself being pushed forwards, and I came into contact with what I knew what his chest. I recognised the feeling from when he'd held me before. Only hand ran it's fingers through my hair, the other was pressed firmly against my back, his arms wrapped around me. I liked this, I guess, but it didn't stop me from feeling stupid for acting in the way I was. I was trying to calm myself down and regain my cool, or at least force myself to stop trembling! Well, it took some trying but I managed to tense myself up, letting my shaking become a bit less obvious.

"...Elena...?"

He sounded unsure. Almost like he had to check that it was really me who was crying in his arms. Just when I thought my frustration had been released through tears, I surprised myself (and him, judging from his reaction, I guess I'd kinda surprised him, too.) by letting out just one more angered statement:

"I know! I already know I'm weak, ok?! I know!!"

"Shhh...no, no...that's not it..." I heard him murmur comfortingly, and I moved my head to look up at him. Maybe if I looked at his face, I might start to feel better.

That was when it happened. Just as I looked up at him, our lips collided, and I felt my body freeze, my eyes widen. My anger and sadness just completely washed away after that. Whether accidental or intentional, (his lips hadn't moved, and he looked kind of surprised, like he'd accidentally fallen on my lips, or something.) I felt like I really didn't care. A kiss is a kiss, right? Eventually, I got over the shock of it all, and was able to move again. I was planning to pull away and ask what the hell was happening, but instead, I felt my hand slide up his back over his soft skin, and travel amongst that long, thick dark hair. Whilst I was doing this, my lips were pressed against his and were gently returning that kiss. He deepened it, pressing harder against my mouth and holding me close, his breathing heavier as his hands travelled swiftly and gently up and down my body, through my hair, to my waist, never stopping their movement for even a second. His tongue carressed my lips, wanting entry, and I allowed it. I guess I wasn't completely sure of what I was doing, 'cause this entire thing felt like some kind of daydream. I then felt his tongue stroking against mine, pushing against . I felt his weight against me, forcing and gently lowering me down to the bed, and then he pulled away, panting. His arms either side of me, he gazed down at me, making me feel a little uneasy. So...I guess he had been hiding something, then.

"F...finished?"

"Of course not..." he growled softly, a smirk coming to his lips. That smirk looked like he was planning something, and it seemed like it didn't really belong on those lips that had seemed so gentle, careful but..powerful, too just moments before. "So...shall we continue?" he questioned, leaning down against me again. Did I want his kisses? Well, if I didn't I guess I would've fought back and tried to stop him, but I didn't. I let him carry on, and I even returned those kisses with everything I had! Why? What about Tseng? Haha...What _about_ Tseng? He'd had his chance, right? If he wanted to keep chasing after the heart of that dead flower girl, then let him! What was I saying...? I loved Tseng...didn't I...?

I didn't...not anymore. Maybe it was Valentine's hypnotising caresses that had changed my mind, but I liked the warm, wet feeling on my skin as he dragged his tongue down my cheek, and as he gently sucked my neck...as he reached behind my back to unhook my-..WHAT?!

With a quick gasp and a whimper, I grabbed his arms, trying to get him to stop. Looks like he was just as surprised as I was. Those crimson eyes were wide as they stared into mine.

"Elena, I...I'm...I'm so-..."

"Wait! Just wait. Why? W-..why are you...?"

"There's something I need to be sure of...and asking myself confusing questions is solving nothing. The only way I'll ever put my mind at rest is to just...do it. I apologise. I hadn't wanted to force you into this...nor did I wish to make you feel uncomfortable...but I suppose it's too late to be saying that...In any case...this isn't the way in which _this_ should be done. I must seem selfish. I'm sorry."

So he'd been getting weird thoughts too, huh? Maybe not about the same kinda thing as me, but I guess I understood what he meant. Asking confusing questions led to nothing but more questions, but no answers. You had to find the answers yourself. I think...I think I may have already found a few...and that's how I understood. What if he didn't find what he wanted, though? What if he (like Tseng had already done) grabbed my heart, then gave it back after stabbing it a few hundred times? Where would that leave me? Then again...what if he did find what he liked? I...I don't know...

Maybe I was being selfish. I had to stop with the whole 'I like him, so he's mine!' thing. (or in this case: 'he kissed me, so he's mine!') As much as it hurt to say so...no-one was ever gonna be mine no matter how much I wished or begged for it, no matter how much I cried about it. I'm a Turk. Turks don't have successful loves. It's just the way it goes. Our job doesn't allow it. This experience would probably only give me something nice to remember when I'm alone. Anyway, chances were that I was gonna die soon because of that anti-ShinRa guy. I might as well help Valentine out while I was there...he'd helped me out too much already, so I guess this was a kind of...repayment. He didn't want to get his answers because he was too busy thinking about me. Nah, it was time for me to start putting him first for a change.

"You know what, Valentine? Do it. Do it and find your answers...ok?"

"W-..."

"You heard me."

He stared at me as though I'd just asked him to shoot a puppy or something awful.

"What? You don't want those answers, Valentine?"

"No. Not like this."


	18. Vincent 9

**I think it's about time I say thank you to everstarfictionfan for reading along and commenting. It's really encouraging to know the story has your interest, and your feedback is inspiring me to keep updating whenever I can. Thanks so much! **

**Also! I've discovered that listening to Josh Groban for chapters like this is a giant help for Vincent's perspective! Yay!**

**Ok, read and enjoy!**

* * *

It was too late to undo what I had done, now.

It's fortunate that I didn't wish to.

I didn't realise just how much I had wanted this until it had happened. She had surprised me greatly by not pulling away and slapping me (or something of that kind). At first she had tensed, and her eyes had shot open widely, but as I watched, I noticed her eventually relax into my arms, and accept what was happening. With those wonderful, soft, flawless, perfect lips she had began to return my accidental kiss. With one soft movement, she slid one hand up my back to entangle it with my hair, and after I had felt that, it was very hard not to become relaxed also. Resistence was futile...she had successfully captured me. By now, I too had accepted what was happening, and I felt myself wanting it...perhaps even craving something more.

So many questions were answered within that moment as I pressed my lips harder against hers, kissing deeper, but still attempting to be gentle. Questions such as:  
'Do you want to hold and kiss her?' Obviously.  
'How much do you want it?' More than you could begin to imagine.  
'Would you care for her more than she could ever imagine Tseng to?' Of course...'  
Do you...want...her?' ...Yes...but I want her for more than just...that...  
'Does that mean you love her?' Ye-...I...well...

That question was still the one that got me. Love is a powerful word. I was unable to casually state 'yes' or 'no'. Before, my answer would have been 'no, of course not.' But now that I had spent time with her, gained her trust, and now felt her touch and kisses, I wasn't quite so sure anymore. Perhaps I was beginning to realise something...I suppose that I...thought I was falling in love with her, but I wasn't certain. Kissing her, holding her close and feeling her return that...I felt something that I didn't recognise within me. I felt almost nervous, I suppose. I didn't want to lose this moment...not for anything...I was enjoying having her this close to me, and I wished to savour that, but yet...I felt somewhat saddened when I realised that this moment would not last forever. Maybe that was when I began to realise what was going on within myself...but I had to make sure. I had to be certain that I was correct before I began coming to any conclusions about my feelings.

By now, my tongue had penetrated her lips, and I had swiftly ran my hands over her body, taking it in, but feeling I was rushing things...however, I felt that haste was necessary. My fingers were tingling with excitement, and I felt that I wanted to take everything all at once. My hands travelled quickly from her back, to her waist, to her hair, and eventually, I had pushed her down towards the bed. She had made no protest, and so I had assumed that it was alright. After what felt like a few minutes, I had no choice but to pull away in order to regain my breath. While doing so, I simply gazed down at her, taking this as another oppertunity to take her in. I know it sounds...somewhat pathetic and maybe oversensitive of me, but...to me, she was someone who I just couldn't look at enough. She was addictive to my eyes. Gazing at her was something that never became boring to me...for as I had previously stated: she was simply too beautiful...she was beautiful because she was herself. Never did she hide beneath make-up or something similar...she was beautiful by nature. It was part of who she was, despite her modesty or what she thought of herself...it would never change my opinions of her.

"F...finished?" A timid voice asked. Waking from my brief daydream, I noticed a pair of wide, honey-coloured eyes staring up at me.

Was I finished? By no means. I'd only just begun...  
"Of course not...so...shall we continue?" I felt a smirk on my lips, and feared that she may have found it intimidating, but I gave her no chance to show such intimidation. The second that the question had left my lips, I had leant down against her again. My tongue now free from my lips, and slowly trailing down her cheek, down further past her chin, and I stopped at her neck, kissing it tenderly a few times before fastening my lips to it and beginning to suck at it. Whilst I had been doing so, my hands crept around her back, sliding down and grasping at her bra strap. I'd lost control again...  
Apparently I had taken it too far, as seconds after she had felt my hands behind her back, I heard her startled gasp, soon followed by a whimper that made me feel as though I had done something awful. I suppose from her perspective, I had. I was foolish...I'd taken it too far, and now I had scared her...I'd lost it forever...the touch of that skin as soft and smooth as satin...that thought pannicked me, and my eyes widened, staring straight into hers. I had to fix it. I couldn't lose her due to my stupid mistake!

"Elena...I...I'm...I'm so-..."

"Wait! Just wait. Why? W-...why are you...?"

She didn't finish her question, but I had heard enough to allow me to answer. I could forsee that my answer wasn't about to make much sense, but I had to try to explain what it was that was rushing through my mind at that moment. I would not let her know about how I was beginning to feel...I wanted to be certain of that first.

"There's something I need to be sure of...and asking myself confusing questions is solving nothing. The only way I'll ever put my mind at rest is to just...do it. I apologise. I hadn't wished to force you into this...nor did I wish to make you feel uncomfortable...but I suppose it's a bit late to be saying that...In any case...this isn't the way in which _this_ should be done. I must seem selfish. I'm sorry."

It was true...I felt awful. I'd been too hasty about it...forgetting about what it was I was asking of her. Even so...if she and I ever were to get together, I'd want to remember our first time (if we were ever to go ahead with this) as being something special. I wouldn't wish to remember it as me being selfish and taking her because I wanted answers. No...those answers would have to wait. I had to keep in mind that if I wanted her to scream my name...it would have to be in the right place (which this was) at the right time, and in the right situation with us both feeling the right thing. At the moment, I did not know what it was I was feeling quite yet, so...I would have to sort that out first. Maybe that would give her enough time to realise any feelings that she might have had for me...

"You know what, Valentine..." I heard her begin.

(Ah. So...we weren't on first-name terms yet, Elena...? Here I was debating whether or not I loved you, and yet you couldn't manage to call me by my first name?)

Even so, she continued...with such a suggestion that I could never allow. Not like this. I had already decided that much. "Do it. Do it and find your answers...ok?"

"W-..."

"You heard me."

I didn't quite understand what had brought on this change in her. There was once a time when she became suspiscious when I held out my hand for her to hold...there was once a time that she glared at me when I requested that she get changed out of her wet clothes and into something of mine...and yet, here she was, offering her body to me so that I could make up my mind and sort out my feelings. It would have been too selfish of me to take her for such a purpose..so...however hard for me it was to say no in that moment, I managed to.

"What? You don't want those answers, Valentine?"

"No. Not like this."

"Not like what?" she questioned me, her head tilted to once side, a subtle look of doubt presented on her features...but I could still see it there.

"It's not that I...erm...Elena...remember that I...I want you...I just..."

At the words 'I want you', her eyes had become wide again, and she lay there gazing at me in awe. I had to stop in order to look away. With her staring at me in such a way, I found that I was unable to speak. Surprisingly, the fear had all gone from her face. All that remained was shock, her lips parted as though she wanted to tell me something, but couldn't. We stayed there in silence for a few moments, until she began:

"Valen-..."

I had to stop her. I needed to...I couldn't stand to hear her call me that any more...it was what she had gotten used to, but I couldn't listen to her speak to me as though we were still Turk and AVALANCHE members.

"Don't-...did that...just now...did that mean nothing to you...?"

Elena was silent. I didn't wish to look at her face --however beautiful it looked-- and see her staring at me with a look that I assumed would have demanded what the hell I was on about. Yet again, we were silent as I awaited her answer to my rather nervous question.

"Well, it...it was..."

She was going to say 'nice'. She was going to say 'nice' and completely crush my heart in the process...I could feel it coming...

"It was...um...I thought...it..."

"Is it that difficult to decide...?"

"No! It's not! I just-...!"

I would have to help her, apparently. Leaning down once more, I pressed my lips to hers, silencing her. Her eyes slid shut, as did mine, and I felt her lips push tenderly to mine. I deepened the kiss, holding on to it for only a few more moments until I broke it again, gazing down at her. "Well?"

"I...it does...it means something, ok...?"

"Then don't be so formal with me. Talk to me as Elena...as the person...not as the Turk. I'm not your enemy anymore...keep that in mind. Anyway, what was it that you wished to say?"

"I was gonna ask you: what question were you trying to find the answer to?"

I hadn't been expecting that. How would I explain without making her uncomfortable? Without making myself uncomfortable? This would cause some sort of awkward silence, but I suppose that I would have to admit it at some point. I should have been prepared for that when I told her that I needed the answer to a question. I should have expected that she would be curious, but even so...I answered...

"I was...well...I...I wanted to be sure about it...erm..." I cleared my throat, and shut my eyes, taking a deep breath before admitting: "Elena...I...I think I've...fallen in love with you..."


	19. Elena 9

'

**Adult themes at the end of this chapter.**

* * *

Not like this' he says...but what's that supposed to mean? Men really are confusing sometimes! Was he or was he not all over me just a few seconds ago? Or was it something I'd done that made him have second thoughts?

"Not like what?" Ok, I was a little worried, but I didn't want him to know that. I tried to make the question sound casual so he wouldn't figure me out, but you know what Valentine's like. He's practically a walking lie-detector, so I don't know whether or not I'd be able to hide my doubt.

"It's not that I...erm...Elena...remember that I...I want you...I just..."

He'd suddenly stopped to look away. Maybe it was the look on my face that had made him do it. What had happened was that my eyes had widened a little in surprise, and my mouth had opened a little. (Well, wouldn't you be surprised if some mysterious guy like Valentine suddenly told you they wanted you?) I'd wanted to demand: 'What?!' but I just couldn't. After seeing the look on my face, he'd stopped speaking right away, and looked elsewhere. He was acting strangely, even for him!

Silence came, and I wanted to say something. Anything. And then I remembered: before he'd been about to go further, he'd told me he wanted the answer to a question. Here's where my curiosity kicked in. I should've thought about it sooner, actually! What kind of question would he be able to get answer from me for? What could I possibly know that he didn't? Was it just me he wanted that answer from, or would he have wanted this mysterious 'answer' from any woman he'd happened to have met at the time? Well, as we know, asking myself questions solves nothing! Even Valentine agrees with me on that! So...if I couldn't ask myself questions, I'd have to ask him instead. It was my turn to look for an answer!

"Valen-..."

He looked genuinely hurt when I started calling him by his last name. I couldn't figure out why. Hadn't I always called him that? Always? What was so different about now? Well, when he interrupted me, I had a feeling I was about to find out the answer any second now.

"Don't-...didn't that...just now...did that mean nothing to you?"

What the hell?! Where had this come from all of a sudden? Ok, so I'm assuming he'd accidentally kissed me, almost gone further than that so he could find some answer but stopped himself just before he did it, and now all of this was supposed to mean something?

Wait...was that kiss...was it actually intentional? Well, he hadn't pulled away when he'd done it, so maybe he'd wanted to make it look like an accident so I didn't get scared...Gah! More questions! More confusion! Oh, man...anyway, I struggled to find something to say as he gazed at me expectantly, that little look of hurt still in his eyes. I was feeling guilty, and I don't even know why! What had I done wrong?! I can't help but feel that my life was so much simpler before I met this guy...

"Well, it...it was..."

Come on! Say something, Elena! Why was I stuttering? I hated this. It was so humiliating!

"It was...um...I thought...it..."

It seems like even the ever-patient Valentine got fed up of waiting for an answer!

"Is it that difficult to decide...?"

Oh, man...not good. I really felt like I'd done something wrong! He was staring at me, one eyebrow slightly raised, his voice lowering in volume each time he spoke. That question had been almost a whisper, and those crimson eyes were full of some feeling I didn't recognise. It had gone beyond hurt. It was almost like I'd mentally murdered him.

"No! It's not! I just-...!"

I was interrupted by his lips as they pressed firmly against mine. Yes...this definitely meant something. My eyes slid shut, and I felt my lips automatically begin to return the kiss gently. As he deepened it a bit, I felt my heart pounding faster in my chest. I'd found my answers now...just there in that few moments. Even though this was actually our second kiss, I felt kind of excited...you know...that feeling you get on a first date when the guy kisses you for the first time. That's what I was feeling. I think that was when...that was when I knew that I...kinda...already 'knew'. Knew what? Haha...you'll see. Finally, he broke the kiss, and I'll admit that I felt pretty disappointed when he did. Those crimson eyes full of sadness gazed down at me once more, and he questioned: "Well?"

I had to be truthful. Even if it was a little embarrassing. "I...it does...it means something, ok...?"

"Then don't be so formal with me. Talk to me as Elena...as the person...not as the Turk. I'm not your enemy anymore...keep that in mind. Anyway, what was it that you wished to say?"

I paused, waiting until I was sure he'd finished speaking. To be honest, I guess I was a little nervous about how he was gonna react to my question. If he could've found out this 'answer' from any woman he'd happened to meet at the time, I suppose I'd feel kind of...less special. Rejected, in a way. But there's only one way to find out, so regardless of what I was feeling, I went ahead and asked my question: "I was gonna ask you: what question were you trying to find the answer to?"

He looked surprised and nervous all at once. I guess I wasn't the only one feeling a little edgy, so that made me feel better. Sort of. My heart still thumping in my chest as I looked up at him, I wished he'd hurry up and answer rather than leaving me to suffer the suspense. Then again, what happened next probably wouldn't have been so memorable without any suspense leading up to it.

"I was...well...I...I wanted to be sure about it...erm..." I never thought I'd ever see the day that Vincent Valentine got nervous around someone like me. Actually, him being nervous at all is probably a really rare sight. It's totally bizarre. The sound of him clearing his throat caught my attention, as I realised that he was preparing to answer me. I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were shut. Why were his eyes shut? Was the answer to my question really all that nerve-wracking and embarrassing for him...?!

"Elena...I...I think I've...fallen in love with you..."

He was kidding, right? He had to be kidding. I heard myself clear my throat, and I opened my mind to speak only to hear myself laugh nervously instead. "T...that's a good one, Valentine..um...you really had me for a second there! For a second, I was like: Oh my God! You looked so serious, too! You scared me for a minute!"

"I looked serious because I_ was_ serious. This is no joke...but I understand what you're trying to tell me. Very well..."

That look of hurt had returned to his eyes, and was actually on his whole face, too. He'd been serious? He...loved me? Really?!

While I was thinking, I looked up just in time to see that he'd gotten up and headed over to the door. He was gonna leave just because I'd laughed?

"Hey! Vale-...um...Vince, wait a second!" He didn't wait, and just reached for the door handle. "I said wait!!"

Grabbing his arm, I somehow managed to force him to turn around so that I could hug him tightly, my head resting against his chest. My eyes slid shut as I felt his arms wrap tightly around me, pulling me into a firmer hug. His heart was beating beneath his chest a little faster than normal, but then again, he wasn't exactly what I'd call normal. Maybe in a way, that's what I liked about him, you know?

"Listen...I..I'm sorry, ok? I wasn't expecting it. That's all. It's not that I don't believe you, and it's not that it means nothing to me, it was just a bit unexpected. I just...didn't know how to react."

"...I understand. I suppose it was a little sudden..."

"So you won't leave?" I hoped he'd confim that he wouldn't, and I glanced up at him in order to see if I could tell anything about his answer from his expression. A soft, almost invisible smile played on his lips, and those mysterious crimson eyes gazed straight back at me almost...fondly, I guess is the word I'm looking for. He paused, before leaning down to place a soft, brief kiss on my forehead, another on my lips. Pulling me closer to him, he kissed tenderly along my cheek, and I felt my knees weaken a little. Was I...swooning?! Seriously? Wow..that was a new feeling. When his lips arrived at my ear, he nipped it softly before whispering:  
"I couldn't...Elena...I suppose I over-reacted...ah...erm...also: I apologize if my confession made you uncomfortable or...if it shocked you. That wasn't my intention..." He stopped to softly kiss my ear, before continuing, his warm breath tickling my ear. I bit down gently on my bottom lip to prevent a giggle from escaping. Now wasn't the time for laughing. We'd already established that! Anyway, he continued on: "I...won't force you to return my feelings. So...I won't force you to love me, but...at least now you know..."

In a way, he was too late. My mind knew it, my heart knew it, and finally, after spending so long debating, I knew it.

Although the way I felt was pretty hard to describe, I think it was love. Tseng was too late, now. I'd decided that he'd had his chance...I wasn't gonna let Val-...um...Vincent suffer because of me the same way I had because of Tseng.

"Vincent...?"

"Yes?"

"Um...I...well...I...um..." I couldn't say it. I'd never said it before...not to any guy. In my mind, I'd said in loads of times to Tseng, but..never out loud! Even so, I gave it a shot. There's a first time for everything, right? Ok, here goes. Originally, I'd meant to say 'I love you'. Instead, it came out as this question: "Were you really intending on walking out of here shirtless?"

Nice, Elena. Real smooth. Awesome. How pathetic. What the hell had just happened?!

"Erm..."

"No! I'm sorry! That wasn't what I meant to say!" Great. Now I was blushing! Wasn't this just going fantastically?! Why does this embarrassing stuff happen to me? Do I have no control whatsoever over my own mouth?!

"Maybe not, but...has anyone ever told you that you look absolutely adorable when you blush...?"

Well, he was just full of surprises today. First he kissed me, then he told me he loves me, and now I'm apparently adorable? Wow. What a day.

"Well, I uh...I uh..."

But then of course, this was me. No day could ever go perfectly, because I always had to stutter or say something stupid like I just had. Luckily he found it amusing, so that was alright. After a while, he let me go and walked back over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. Without realising, I followed, sitting down next to him. Silence came. He gazed up to the ceiling, I stared straight ahead. With a quiet sigh, I leant back and lay down on the bed, shutting my eyes. I hadn't realised how tired I was until I'd relaxed a little.

_Minutes passed, and my sleepiness immediately disappeared when I felt something warm and wet at my neck, (as though someone was sucking it), and something soft tickling my cheek. I opened my eyes hastily, only to find yet another surprise. Vincent was on top of me, leaning down against me and kissing/sucking my neck. Some of his long hair fell gracefully across my face tickling my cheek by brushing against it. One of his hands rested on my side, his other hand supporting him and holding him up to stop him falling on me. Unexpected? Damn right!  
Apparently getting bored of my neck, he tightened his grip on my side and placed a kiss below my shoulder, moving lower with his kisses each time. Feeling him kiss just above my breast, I froze. Just as expected (amazingly!), he paused to lean lower to remove my bra for easier access. This time, I didn't stop him. I guess I was curious about what was gonna happen next. Without hesitation he continued down further, and I felt myself tremble a little as his soft lips slid down my breast. My heart pounded faster and harder as his gentle lips caressed my nipple, his tongue teasing it. I felt a warmth between my thighs, and my hands immediately went to his head, feeling his hair between my fingers. Letting out a quiet grunt, he sucked harder, biting my nipple a bit._

_"Oh...Oh god!! N-...no! Oh...!" I heard myself gasp, my breath catching in my throat, a gentle panting escaping me between my gasping, a small breathless giggle soon following. Why was he doing this so suddenly? "V...V...ince..." I groaned, squirming a little beneath him, but he held on, grasping me tighter and sinking his teeth harder into my now hardened nipple._

_"Beautiful...so...beautiful..." he muttered almost inaudibly. His breath was warm, and it made me shiver a little. It felt really weird to have such a warm feeling against my now damp breast and also between my thighs. "Just like I imagined..." he murmured even quieter. Wait, he'd imagined this?!_

_As I lay there beneath him, feeling pretty much complete pleasure and slight confusion as his tongue attacked my chest, all I could think to ask was:_

"Why?"

"Why what?" That famailiar, low voice questioned me. My eyes flickered open, and I saw him there, sitting a small distance away from me, his head tilted to one side and a look of concern and confusion on his face. "Is everything alright?"

"What? Oh! Um...yes. It...It's fine!"

So that bit about him touching me...that had been a dream?

I guess that makes sense...he never seemed the type to randomly jump on girls...

I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I realised that it was all my imagination. He'd told me he loved me, but...

I was stupid to think he'd ever touch me that way. He's just not like that...

(Yes. That...was when I knew...

I knew for sure. )


	20. Vincent 10

With one single shocked giggle, she'd managed to sting my heart to the very core. I should have thought this through..never would I have normally admitted such a thing so boldly. Never would I have admitted such a thing at all...but it was true. However, I should have known that she would never return such a statement...much less take it seriously.

"T...that's a good one, Valentine...um...you really had me for a second there! For a second, I was like: Oh my God! You looked so serious, too! You scared me for a minute!"

I may be inexperience with this sort of situation, but I knew that things were going badly as soon as her lips curved to form an uneasy smile. For just those moments, I suppose I could have read her thoughts. Yes...she was one of those people...who assume that just because I keep myself to myself, I am unable to love. It was the concept that was the joke, not the true words. Perhaps I was being unfair...but unfairer still was the reaction she had given. So. She had lied. The kiss truly had been something meaningless and just 'nice'. Yes, I'll admit that at first it was an accident...but from then on, it had meant something to me...I thought it may have meant something to her, also...but no. That was a fool's false hope, I understand. Had she only told me what I wanted to hear in order to make me feel better? She had failed miserably if so. A heart is a fragile thing, whether it be that of a male or of a female. That is what several people fail to understand. Ah, I digress. Even so...

"I looked serious because I _was_ serious. This is no joke...but I understand what you're trying to tell me. Very well..." Would I truly leave? I suppose so. If I am to be truthful...she...was my reason for staying. Were she to mock me and push me away, I would no longer have a purpose for remaining here. And so, I got to my feet with one last glance over my shoulder at her. Cold, perhaps, but colder still was her laughter --however unsure and soft it had been--, ringing cold in my ears and stinging my heart like a thousand needles. Over-sensitive? I would agree...Strange, really. I had been so sure that this was merely lust, and now...now I knew that it was more. I was in love...and from past experiences, I could already forsee a new road of suffering ahead. For me? Possibly. For her? Judging from the stranger's intentions...certainly.

"Hey, Vale-..um...Vince, wait a second!"

You call for me _now_, my love? You waste your lovely breath on one such as I? Hmph...this time, I won't surrender to your calls. I do it for you, and for myself. I realise now that I can't continue pretending that you love me, and nor can you...although I do sense something lingering there amongst the fear, concern and confusion. Buried deep in your vulnerable heart. Something you won't admit to...and who can blame you? Who could proudly state that they love such a...monster? For that, my love...is all that I am.

Reaching for the door handle, I felt a strong hand grip my wrist to prevent me from proceeding.

"I said wait!!"

With strength which surprised me, she managed to forcefully turn me around, wrapping her arms around me tightly. It seemed that there was no escape from her embrace...no escape from that strange aura of...loveliness that surrounded her. No sooner had she embraced me, I found my reason for staying once more. My arms went around her, pulling her closer...but 'closer' was never quite close enough. I wanted her closer to me than was possible so that I could shield her from everything, protect her, and never have to give her up to anyone...these thoughts felt so unlike my own and yet...it felt right to be thinking them. Almost like an instinct. Her head resting against my chest, I felt myself relax, my heart pounding faster upon realising just how close we were to each other.

"Listen...I...I'm sorry, ok? I wasn't expecting it. That's all. It's not that I don't believe you, and it's not that it means nothing to me, it was just a bit unexpected. I just...didn't know how to react."

I couldn't bring myself to doubt her...her voice was filled with such sincerity. The words that she spoke were understandable...but there was a voice at the back of my mind. That voice of doubt...the one that told me: 'She's just telling you what you want to hear! Don't tell me you're buying this? As soon as the other Turks turn up, she'll leave you! She'll run! Run far away! Because running...haha...running is all that Turks are good for nowadays! Not like the good old days...not back when you-...'  
That voice was cut short by another, and I was grateful. I couldn't relive that truth...not again. 'And if she does mean it? You'd lose your chance! You're going to let her go just like you did Lucrecia? You're going to let another one slip away so easy, Vincent?'  
'No...'  
'Well?!'

I finally replied, having taken one moment to argue with the ones sharing my consciousness. "...I understand. I suppose it was a little sudden..." Maybe I was right...perhaps we both were. Had I admitted this much to fast for either of us to handle? Maybe so. I thought that if I admitted my feelings then these questions would go away...but no. The questions remained, spawning more and more in my brain, hatching doubt in my heart. Regardless, I would not let Elena go. My doubt...it didn't matter. Not anymore.

"So you won't leave?" that gentle voice asked, her eyes staring up at me carefully. Gazing down into those eyes...how could I leave her? How? She was too...lovely. I felt my lips twitch as a small smile tried to force its way to the surface. Having previously been afraid, she now wanted me to stay with her? She needed reassurance that I would do so? It was a fast change in her attitude, but...if it was what she wanted...  
And now for a small portion of what I wanted. Leaning down towards her, I briefly kissed her forehead, soon moving on to make contact with those sweet, soft lips. My lips yearned for more...my body cried out to be closer to hers. Tightening my grip on her, I pulled her towards me, my lips travelling across her cheek to her ear. Feeling her weaken a little, I caught her and held her closer before she had the chance to stumble, and breathed in that wonderful smell of her soft, fair hair. Finishing with a tender nip of her ear, I answered her question, giving her the reassurance that she desired:

"I couldn't...Elena...I suppose I over-reacted...ah...erm..." What else could I say? Indeed, I suppose my reaction had been rather overdramatic...of course my confession had been somewhat unexpected, especially as it had not been very long since we had become more confident around each other. Had I ruined that? Would she still trust me now? Just to be sure, I attempted to mend any damage that my uncertain confession had dealt: "Also: I apologize if my confession made you uncomfortable or...if it shocked you. That wasn't my intention." Pausing once more, I searched for words, unable to resist placing another gentle kiss on her ear. "I...won't force you to return my feelings. So...I won't force you to love me, but...at least now you know..."

At the back of my mind, I was sick of apologizing for my feelings...both Lucrecia and Elena...I realise that it is neither of their faults, but yet...they do not feel what I do, but I am the one left to apologize. I am left to feel as though I have done wrong by loving them...admiring them. I was beginning to feel that maybe it was time to surrender to the fact that love was not something for me. My life was certainly no fairytale...and any successful love that I would have if I were that lucky would no doubt end in tragedy. For I am no Prince Charming...we can be sure of that. I am nothing but a mere monster, trapped in the shell of a human, constantly hididng behind this mask. Perhaps that it why I am left to apologize. I should have known from the beginning...no woman in her right mind could ever love a monster such as I. It is shameful for me to pretend, and an insult for me to suggest such a thing. I suppose that it why my apologies are necessary.

"Vincent...?" Her voice broke through the silence, cutting off my train of thought. Perhaps that is a good thing, though...

"Yes?"

"Um...I...well...I...um..."

What was it? Why was she so nervous? Could it be that she...?

"Were you really intending on walking out of her shirtless?"

I should have known it would be no affectionate confession. What had I just been thinking about? It had been a coincidence that she had spoken to me at that moment, and nothing more. My hopes had been hauled up from the depths of my heart, and then thrown straight back down, plunging to the bottom like an anchor thrown into the sea. And my hopes could stay down there, for all I cared...hopes...false or true, are troublesome things. Much more trouble than they are worth, I would say...

"Erm..."

"No! I'm sorry! That wasn't what I meant to say!"

Oh? Then what was it that-...no..I wasn't going to allow myself to ask these questions again. I had just been through this, and wasn't about to take a step backwards. I glanced at Elena, trying to take my mind off of hoping, and couldn't help but smile upon the sight that met my eyes. She gazed down in what appeared to be shame or embarrassment, a dark blush having crept across her cheeks. The blush lingered, only deepening as she sensed my gaze on her. Oh, yes. More of a doll than ever, now. A flawless rosy colouring painted on her pale cheeks... a...cute sight. Such a sweet girl...on the outside, a Turk. Harsh, professional, unafraid to kill...but on the inside, there was quite the interesting contrast: sweetness, affection, cuteness and sensitivity. In her own little way, she had managed to remind me of Lucrecia...and the pain that such a thought brought stung me hard. Nevertheless...that 'doll'..._my_ 'doll' stood before me as we remained in silence for a few seconds that felt as thought they lasted minutes.

"Maybe not, but...has anyone ever told you that you look absolutely adorable when you blush...?"

It was the truth...a truth which needed to be stated.

"Well, I uh...I uh..."

I heard a faint chuckle escape me as I held her for only a few more minutes, after which, I released her. Then heading over to the bed, I couldn't help but notice that she followed, sitting down beside me on the edge of the bed. Nothing was said...but what was there to say, after all?

Eventually, she lay back, and I assumed that she was sleeping due to the gentle in-and-out of her breathing...her chest gently rising and falling. Feeling a fond smile creep on to my lips, I reached out my hand to stroke her hair, only to be stopped when she twitched a little in her sleep. She was biting down on her bottom lip, and squirming a little from side to side. A nightmare? But she appeared so happy...so...pleasured. Every so often, a sound as small as a soft gasp or moan would escape her, --those moans were blissful...something was happening to her. Upon hearing them, I felt my fingers tingle with wanting as they longer to touch her...my lips longed to kiss her, and as I gazed over at her, my body just longed for...her. But I couldn't...I couldn't grant those wishes no matter how much I wanted to. It wasn't my choice to make...and it would be wrong...but...that wrongness made the thought seem so...'right'. -- eventually followed by a true word: "Why?"

"Why what?" I couldn't help but ask. "Is everything alright?" Her sleep had been a light one, as her eyes slipped open upon hearing the sound of my voice. Feeling a little guilty, I was somewhat worried that I had woken her from a dream that she had been enjoying, and felt bad for interrupting her rest, but...I hadn't been able to prevent myself from questioning her inquiry.

"What?" she seemed disappointed at something...so...I had interrupted a good dream. Not only did she seem disappointed, but somewhere within her, I could sense pleasure and confusion, mixed with a hint of fear. Strange... "Oh! Um...yes. It...It's fine!" She was hiding something...that was plain to see, but her mind was no place for me to be intruding. The information that I wanted was clearly none of my business. Instead, I played it dumb and pretended that I suspected nothing...

"A nightmare...?"

"Um...what?"

"You were making noises in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare...?"

"Noise? Oh no!! Um...I mean..yeah! Yeah, I was!"

A Turk she may be, but a terrible liar nonetheless. It was difficult for me to do so, but I pretended to believe her, nodding understandingly and adopting a sympathetic expression. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah! Um...y-yes! Why wouldn't I be? It was only a nightmare! It can't hurt me, 'cause it's not real, right?" If only she knew...if only she could begin to understand...but how could she understand? She and I had led very different lives. She could never understand the true power of a haunting nightmare.

"You would be surprised how closely the images displayed by the subconscious can warp the conscious and trap your senses..."

"What?"

"Nothing..."

You see? She could never understand. Who could? Such monstrosities which dwell in the mind and manage to burrow into your heart...an obsession becomes created. Over and over you turn in bed, wanting to run far away, wanting to escape...but these are the things which can never be escaped. These are the things which live to haunt you, and thrive on your cries for help. They chase you, madden you, doing their best to steal away your sense and sanity. Who could understand that before they experience it? Being chased like an animal being hunted, knowing that your nightmares and worst fears could lurk behind any corner. Looking over your shoulder you see them, and they see you...but before you can run...before you can take a breath, you're caught again. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide, there is no escape. Our mind the prisoner...and yet also our very own personal prison. Trapped within ourselves, there is no-where to hide.

"Vincent?" she questioned, kneeling up and crawling towards me in a way that appeared seductive (whether or not that was her intention is anyone's guess.) and certainly managed to make my heartbeat quicken. Towards me she slowly came, never taking her eyes off of me.

"My love...?" I muttered wearily. Having recounted those experiences to my mind, I felt just a little exhausted afterwards. My eyelids felt heavy...it had been a while since I had last slept. Sleeping was something that had become increasingly more difficult over the years. Her arms wrapped around me, and I felt a soft kiss on my cheek. We gazed at each other in silence, both looking as serious as the other. Soon, she nodded, and sat down on the edge of the bed, patting her lap with one hand as though trying to signal something.

"What...?"

"Come on! Lie down!"

She wanted me to lie on her _lap_? That...couldn't be right... I opened my mouth to protest, only to hear her impatient sighing. Grasping my shoulders firmly but also carefully, Elena pulled me slowly downwards, resting my head on her lap. I had to admit that I felt somewhat nervous...my head was lying over her bare thighs, her exposed stomach beside me, and above which were her breasts. In its own peculiar way, it was rather comfortable.

"And...and you? You expect me to sleep like this, and yet I know that it is rather difficult --if not impossible-- to sleep sitting upin such a way..."

Sitting up, I shook my head, gently pushing her back down on to the bed. She giggle softly as her head hit the pillows, and she gazed up at me as I knelt over her, staring straight back at her. This felt right...so right...and it pained me that I was too tired and too nervous to take this any further.  
'Another day, maybe.' I assured my mind. For now, I leant down against her only to briefly kiss her lips once more, and feel her reurn that. With that done, I lay down beside her, preparing to move a distance away from her, only to have her wrap her arms around me and rest her head against my chest. Well...if that was what she wanted...  
I took one moment to glance over at the window. Moonlight streamed through the curtains, illuminating the room with its ghostly light. Stars covered the night's sky like miniature lightbulbs, and I couldn't help but feel at peace with her here with me on such a night. Not a single cloud floated across the sky, and all was quiet outside. This night was ours...  
Pulling the covers up over us, I wished her goodnight and wrapped one arm around her slender waist, the other around her shoulders, just holding her as close as I could. She was already asleep as I kissed her forehead softly, admiring the peaceful expresison on her face and breathing in her wonderful scent once more for that night.  
I couldn't help but marvel at her flawless beauty...In the daylight, she looked angelic as the sunlight bounced off her fair hair, as a smile captured her lips and her usual giggle slipped through them...but in the moonlight of this silent night...she was my goddess. My flawless porcelain doll...

And that was the way that I wanted it to stay...

Forever.


	21. Elena 10

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Wow, this fanfic is much longer than I expected! I guess its because I'm really getting into it now. I never would've thought I'd get to 20 chapters without anyone flaming me...thank you all so much for your support! It's so encouragaing! Expect many more chapters to come in the future!

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Man, was I glad Valentine was dense at times like this!

"A nightmare...?"

"Um...what?"

"You were making noises in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare...?"

I'd been making _noises_?! That's never good when you're having this kind of dream...um...you know what I mean? I was just thankful that he didn't seem to suspect anything. That dream would've been an embarrassing one to explain, you know? Especially to a guy like Vince. So, instead of trying to make up an excuse of my own, I took the one he gave me and just nodded along. As well as that, I figure that if I said it was a nightmare, he wasn't gonna ask me about it. If he did, I could act 'fragile' and pretend I didn't wanna talk about it. Perfect.

"Noise? Oh no!! Um...I mean...yeah! Yeah I was!"

And with that, he bought my excuse. Nodding with a sympathetic look on his face, he asked in a concerned tone: "Are you alright?"

What kind of question was that? Even if my dream had been a nightmare, I would've obviously been fine. Kids have nightmares all the time, and they always come out fine, don't they? It's not like a nightmare can have much of an impact on real life. After the dream I'd had, I was more than alright...I'd just have to hide that for both our sakes. I'd enjoyed the dream, but in its own way it was pretty scary. I wouldn't want it to be a recurring thing.

"Yeah! Um...y-yes! Why wouldn't I be? It was only a nightmare! It can't hurt me, 'cause it's not real, right?"

I had a feeling that I'd said something wrong. No sooner had that statement left my mouth, hie entire expression had darkened, the sympathy and understanding completely gone. So..he was back in 'Vincent mode' by the looks of things. Cold, serious, and mysterious. Lovely.

"You would be surprised how the images displayed by the subconscious can warp the mind and trap your senses..."

What the hell? Yep, this was a classic case of 'Vincent mode'. He was speaking in an undertone, his ruby eyes narrowed and a frown on his lips, a black curtain of his hair hanging over half of his face and shadowing his eyes. I hadn't understood what he'd meant by what he said...it sounded like he definitely meant something, but I just didn't know what.

"What?"

"Nothing." he immediately replied, turning his head away just a little. I guess he didn't want me to understand the meaning of what he'd said. Confusing, but I guess that's just the way Vincent is sometimes: easy to follow when he wants to be, but completely mysterious the rest of the time. A total enigma. So, silence came yet again. Awkward silences...ha...they were never a good sign. I had a feeling that this one had come because he was brooding, as the look on his face suggested that he was serious, angry or upset. (It's so difficult to tell!) . Well, looks like it was up to me to get his attention. and cheer him up, and I think I had just the thing. Although inexperienced when it came to seduction and all that, I gave it a shot. (Whether it would work on Vince, I had no idea... but it's worth a shot, right?)

"Vincent...?" I questioned as softly as I could, kneeling up in order to shift onto all fours and slowly begin to crawl towards him. I stared at him, wanting a reaction so I could determine whether or not this was working, and what kind of mood he was in.

"My love...?" he murmured hoarsely, sounding weary. Thinking about it, I don't remember seeing him sleep at all...he always looked so tired. How come I'd never noticed that before? Wait..did he just call me 'my love'?! That was...nice, in a weird way. I guess I kinda liked it. Anyways, the matter at hand was to cheer him up, and I think that some sleep and a hug would probably be successful there. (Well...when has a hug ever failed to cheer someone up, hm?) An odd suggestion for a remedy, yes, but it's worth a try. Besides: a hug 'to cheer him up' was just a good excuse to be near him. Two birds with one stone.  
Leaning up, I gently kissed his cheek, my arms wrapping around him. I couldn't help but notice the bags under his eyes (these were even more obvious now that I was closer to him) and the flickering of his eyelids as he fought to keep them open. I felt sorry for him right then, I remember. While I thought over my sympathies for him in my head, those blood-red garnet coloured eyes gazed down at me. Usually, those eyes would be blank and hold no emotion, but right now they were full of affection and loving. It was unusual, but a nice change too.

Eventually, I released him and sat down beside him, getting an idea. He was good at giving hints, but would he be so good at taking one? Let's see:  
Looking over at him again, I patted my lap. It was time to relax him a bit and see if that helped him sleep for once.

"What...?"

I had a feeling that he wasn't going to understand! He seemed much too modest to ever take a hint like that!

"Come on! Lie down!"

He was definitely uncomfortable with the idea, but I didn't really care. Of course he'd never sleep if he didn't even try! I heard an involuntary imaptient sigh escape me as I grasped his shoulders and pulled him down so that his head was resting on my lap. I watched as he carefully analysed the situation he was in, those garnet eyes darting in several directions. From side to side, down and upwards. It was kind of funny, really.  
After watching how he acted, I thought about how my body was reacting to him. My thighs felt comfortable with that warm, soft weight of his head on them as he rested there, while the rest of my body just seemed to enjoy the feeling of him lying there. Meanwhile, my heart was working overtime, pumping faster and faster as vivid memories of that dream came rushing back. I felt myself blush as I thought about it, knowing that I had to forget about it otherwise I'd end up embarrassing myself...and him, too!

"And...and you? You expect me to sleep like this, and yet I know that it is rather difficult --if not impossible-- to sleep sitting up in such a way..."

He had a point, I guess. As comfortable as this was, I wouldn't be able to go to sleep like this...but even so: this was for him! Not me! Before I had a chance to argue back, I felt my head hit the soft pillows that lay underneath, and I heard myself giggle. I'd been doing that a lot, lately! He towered over my body, just like in the dream (except for the fact that he wasn't touching/sucking on anything) , and we just gazed at each other in silence again. With him kneeling over my body like that, I just longed for him to do something...but he never did. I should've known he wouldn't, anyway. The only thing he did was briefly kiss my lips before lying down beside me. I moved against him, hoping he'd be comfortable with it as I rested my head against his chest and moved my arms to be around him, soon to feel his around me. A certain sense of security came from his embrace and the warmth of his body against mine as we lay together under the covers. Such security made me feel drowzy...and eventually, sleep took over.

* * *

His lips were pressed to mine in passionate contact, his hands racing through my hair, down, down to my back, further down to my waist. He'd woken up in the middle of the night, and so had I. He'd been awoken from peaceful sleep by a nightmare, and had been trembling in what seemed like fear. His skin had felt so cold...so I'd done my best to cheer him up. Fast breathing, his heart pounding, and covered in a cold sweat, his voice had been shaky as he'd apologised for waking me up. Since then, I'd been kissing him, hugging him, stroking his hair and things like that to try and calm him. Somehow, that'd led on to this passionate kiss and firm embrace we were in, with him on top of me. It felt right, and so we'd remained that way for a while.

Eventually, he pulled away to catch his breath, still keeping his face close to mine. "E...Elena..." he breathed against my lips, and taking in another nervous shaky breath. "Erm...I...this will sound strange, but..erm...I...I want to...to touch you..."

What...? He seriously wanted that? He sounded so embarrassed and timid, as if he was asking for something really bad.

"You're...already touching me, Vince!" I giggled nervously. Well, duh! It was obvious that he didn't mean it like that! Jeez...

"Erm...that's not...that's not quite what I...I meant, my love..." He paused to take in another shaky breath and gulp uneasily. "If you don't want that, then I...I won't...it's not as though I need to do it, I just...I..." He then stopped, leaving the sentence open. Well, it what he wanted to say seemed pretty obvious. I didn't have to do it if I didn't want to, but he just wanted to suggest it just in case I did, basically.

I felt myself trembling at the thought. That dream I had...that could come true if I wanted! All I'd have to say was 'Ok'.

"Elena? I...I've scared you now, havn't I...?"

Had I taken that long to think about it?!

"No! No, you havn't! I was just thinking, that's all! So basically what you're saying is that you wanna have...sex...with me?"

"I...I suppose...yes, you...you could say it like that...erm...but...but please don't feel as though I am pressuring you...I...I'll only do this when you're certain that you're ready..."

He was so modest...it was pretty adorable to see him blushing and trying to explain what he wanted. But he was such a gentleman that I guess admitting that he wanted sex was something difficult for him. Haha...he didn't seem like the type who could comfortably ask for that kinda thing. It was pretty sweet.

"You know...Vince, it's ok. You don't have to worry, 'cause.." I couldn't believe that I was about to say this until I heard the words leave my mouth: "I'm ready if you are."

I couldn't believe it. I'd just agreed to have sex with Vincent Valentine: withdrawn, seemingly cold ex-Turk, ex-AVALANCHE member, and saviour of the planet. Unbelievable, really. I knew one thing for sure, though: if this felt anything like it did in my dream, then I was seriously gonna enjoy this.

"Yeah. I'm ready."

"Are...you sure that this is what you want...?"

"Hm." I replied with a nod, feeling my heart beat quicken. Yeah...this was what I wanted. I guess on some level, I'd always wanted it and just never really realised.

With that, he nervously nodded, and proceeded to kiss my neck, my collarbone, the sensitive skin of my upper breasts. I could feel his lips quivering against my skin. He was uneasy and I could tell. Weirdly, he'd seemed so much more confident in my dream. It made me wonder why I'd imagined him that way...  
Reassuringly, I stroked his hair and tried to calm him a little, only to feel his fingers carress my back gently. Moving upwards, back upwards towards my bra strap, where they stopped. His blood-red garnet eyes met with mine as if he was silently asking: 'Is it ok for me to do this...?'

"Don't worry, ok? It...it's alright." I told him gently, a smile on my lips to make sure he understood that I meant it when I said 'it's alright'. He nodded, and with trembling hands, undid it with only a tiny bit of difficulty, but I stopped him with a question before he could remove it.  
"Hey...Vince. You done this before?" It was kind of a personal question, but I was curious!

"Actually...no...erm...have you...?"

"Nope."

"So you and Tseng never...?"

I looked away, that smile disappearing from my lips. No, Tseng and I had 'never'. We never would ever. That was the way it was. I guess I should have told him in advance or something...now I was thinking about what could have been.

"I...I'm sorry..I shouldn't have-..."

"No, don't...don't worry...haha...I must look so stupid, getting upset over what could've been instead of what '_is_'." I muttered under my breath.

"And...what '_is'_, Elena...?" he questioned me, as we had once again gotten eye contact. He looked curious, and a little hopeful, too. Maybe he wanted the answer I wanted to give him. I hoped so. So, I smiled just a little before asking him:

"Us. We 'are'...aren't we?"


	22. Vincent 11

I had awoken. The images shown to me by my subconscious were nothing new...and are not details I shall bore you with.

Lying there, I felt beads of cold sweat clinging to my skin, my heart racing, and my breathing heavy. My eyes were wide open now. Yes, this feeling of awakening from a nightmare was certainly a familiar one...one which I will never be permitted to forget, it seems. There I was, trapped in the prison of my own cruel mind...my only chance of freedom lying peacefully by my side. The feeling of her lying there, resting against me was perhaps the only comforting thing I felt as I lay, trembling like a helpless, frightened child. I felt pathetic, and yet those honey-coloured eyes stared at me with such sympathy and even an attempt at understanding...but she never could. Nonetheless, it made me feel somewhat better that she tried...that was more than most would do, after all. I realised that I must have woken her when I, myself had awoken, and so I apologized, though I couldn't help but notice the quivering notes in my voice as I did so. She noticed also, and we remained in silence, the pity in her expression only becoming clearer with each second that passed us by.

Soon, I found that she had begun hugging me, kissing me, just trying to calm me down no doubt. In a way it was working as far as the nightmare was concerned, but a kiss from her was never something that could 'calm' me...in fact, it was something that only gave me more energy...seducing me, charming me, taming me, tempting me and driving me onwards to claim even more of what I felt was rightfully mine by now. Yes...that's what I felt inside. To me, she was mine. Nobody could change that...not even the one pursuing her and threatening her life. I had not forgotten about him...but there was nothing that we could do about him for now. We had no clues as to where he was, who he was, where his minions were, where the other Turks were...or even if they were still alive. Ah, yes: the Turks. Should they still be alive and Elena were to find them, would she want me still? Would she need me still? Perhaps not...maybe that's why in the back of my mind, I was wishing that they _were_ dead...just so that I could keep her. In that moment, all of my selfishness rose to the surface, so that I was guided by what I wanted rather than by reasoning. Oh, yes, by now...all reasoning had gone...and it just so happened that what I had wanted at that moment was lying beneath me, trapped in my embrace, captured by that kiss, and lured to me by my will...

I pulled away, those eyes watching my every movement as though trying to determine what my next move would be. I remained close to her, resting my forehead against hers. What I would ask next, I asked from pure wanting...wanting much more than I felt I deserved, but wanting even so. When making my request, my heart pounded faster, my voice continuing to tremble from what I was about to ask of her. Would she accept it? Would she accept me? Or would she turn away once more? Perhaps I would confuse her...had I not previously stated that 'this' was something that I did not want yet...? Why was I unable to make my mind up? This wasn't like me...perhaps it was the effect that she had on me...

"E...Elena..." I paused, only to take in a deep breath. I had come too far to back away now... "Erm...I...this will sound strange, but...um...I...I want to...to touch you..."

Would she laugh again? Think of it as a joke and shrug it off as though I had not spoken? I merely watched, and waited.

"You're...already touching me, Vince!" Those words and the nervous giggle that followed them told me that she did not understand what I meant...the look in her eyes suggested otherwise. She knew...she knew perfectly well...but why did she not admit to knowing...? Even so, I continued trying to explain to her, feeling all the more uneasy with each word.

"Erm...that's not...that's not quite what I...I meant, my love..." What would I say next? What could I say next? I took another deep breath, and swallowed hard. Perhaps she pretended not to understand because she didn't wish to reject me? It was a possibility, I suppose...

"If you don't want that, then I...I won't...it's not as though I need to do it, I just...I..." I didn't quite know how to end that...had I lied to her just then? Was I unable to finish because the truth was that I did need it? In any case, it was up to her now. I awaited her response, almost wincing when I felt her trembling beneath me. I had scared her now...this...this wasn't what I wanted...I tried to reassure her and calm her, feeling that if I didn't, I would lose her.

"Elena? I...I've scared you now, havn't I...?" I feared that I was rushing her by speaking so soon...but her silence was rather unnerving. Thankfully, she spoke shortly after I had asked.

"No! No, you havn't! I was just thinking, that's all! So basically what you're saying is that you wanna have...sex...with me?"

I felt my cheeks warm somewhat after hearing her say it so bluntly...she could throw the word around so casually, and yet I had felt the need to try to explain what it was I wanted to do. "I...I suppose...yes, you...you could say it like that...erm...but...but please don't feel as though I am pressuring you...I...I'll only do this when you're certain that you're ready..."

"You know...Vince, it's ok. You don't have to worry, 'cause...I'm ready if you are."

What...? Had I heard correctly...? She was agreeing to do this...?

"Yeah. I'm ready." she confirmed once more, nodding once and smiling at me. She seemed so confident, but yet I still heard myself ask:

"Are...you sure this is what you want...?"

"Hm." she immediately replied, nodding once more. She had certainly surprised me...I had expected her to immediately refuse me request, but she had instead agreed with such confidence, and only a small amount of hesitation. It was almost as if she-...no...nothing. Nevermind.

Her skin was warm against my lips, which quivered as I touched against her, moving lower each time. I admit that I became much more nervous as my lips approached her breast, but she remained seemingly confident...she felt my lips trembling, and she must have sensed my fear when she had begun to gently stroke my hair in an attempt to calm me. Somehow, it had worked a little...when feeling those fingers run gently through my hair, I felt as though what I was doing was acceptable rather than completely wrong, and so found the confidence to continue on. I moved my fingers gently up her back, glancing at her to get her permission before proceeding to remove her bra, but she stopped me there.

"Hey...Vince. You done this before?" An unexpected question, but I suppose that in some ways, it was valid...

"Actually...no...erm...have you...?"

"Nope." That response surprised me...I had always thought that she and Tseng were together...yet they had never done this..?

"So you and Tseng never...?"

I knew that what I had asked was a bad question as soon as her smile vanished. She looked away, and I began feeling so cruel...it had been insensitive of me at the very least. I suppose I should have thought about it beforehand rather than just making an assumption...how would I have felt if she had asked me: 'So you and Lucrecia never...?' Yes, I...I suppose I understood why she had reacted in such a way...

"I...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have-..."

"No, don't...don't worry...haha...I must look so stupid, getting upset over what couldve been instead thinking about what '_is_'."

What did that mean? When hearing the word 'is', my hopes were immediately tugged up from where I had previously buried them, and we gazed at each other in silence. I then asked the question: "And... what is, Elena...?" Would she say it? Did she truly consider us the same way that I did...?

"Us. We 'are'...aren't we?"

She...she saw us as a couple? After hearing those words from her, I felt my heartbeat quicken, and my eyes widen. In her eyes, we were together...I wished for it to stay that way. In that moment, I was all the more motivated to protect her...and to take her. After this, she would truly be mine...and I hers. With such a thought in mind, my nervousness faded, leaving me eager to continue with what we had begun so unsurely. In response to her question, I merely nodded, before proceeding.

After removing her last items of clothing with her permission, I simply gazed down at her, my fingers caressing her inner thigh, moving further upwards. I arrived at her entrance, only hesitating to check her expression. It was a picture of wanting and fear...rather like how I felt inside...but her pure pefection was what drove me onwards. The hardened rosy nipples, perfectly shaped breasts and gentle curves...I was indeed a lucky man...

Leaning down, I fastened my lips to one nipple and eagerly began sucking, shutting my eyes and penetrating her entrance with my finger. The pleasured moans that escaped her caused a shiver to rush down my spine, and even a groan to escape my own lips. I pushed harder with my finger, quickening it's motion as I bit her gently so as not to hurt her breast. She whispered my name, her eyes shut as she gasped, almost sobbing as she felt my finger cut her harder. This was my own way of torturing her...just watching her as she struggled beneath me, her breath quickening as she began approaching her climax. By now, she had stopped whispering, and I heard her groaning louder, begging me to go faster...harder...but I remained slow...just caressing her with my finger. She pleaded that I enter, but I resisted the temptation. I wanted to savour this...I knew what I was doing now.  
She released another pleasured moan as I removed my lips from her nipple, slipping my tongue inside of her to replace my finger. Grasping her hips, I licked viciously,groaning as I felt her fingers amongst my hair. I continued, drinking the juices that she released, feeling myself become aroused to such an extent that it was almost painful...I needed to get rid of this feeling, but...just a little longer... Her body was trembling, and I knew why...she was on the edge now...just a little more, and I would have claimed her...but when my tongue left her, I felt myself pushed onto my back, Elena's fingers now teasing me...her lips gently touched against my waist, travelling down...and then it was my turn to groan in pleasure..she was torturing me, now...her tongue teasing my already painful erection and causing my such great joy that I couldn't hold in any longer...I felt it coming, but I wanted to be properly inside her when it did. I was now completely ready...I just hoped that she was, too. "This is going to hurt..." I panted, preparing myself, and her.  
"I don't care." she replied, her breathing as heavy as mine. "Just...hurry..."  
I nodded to show that I had understood, and took a deep breath. It would hurt her the most as this was her first time, but...I would do what I could to make the experience seem more comfortable if need be. With that, I plunged into her, penetrating her and eliciting a scream of what sounded like joy and pain mixed together. I waited, gently, kissing her lips, neck, breasts and nipples to calm her, whispering:"It's alright...don't worry...it's alright..."

"I...I'm bleeding..!" She was pannicking now, but I rubbed her shoulders softly to silence her confused sobbing and gasping. I softly explained how it was normal for that to happen whilst she recovered from any pain she was feeling at that moment. "Ok. Um...c-...carry on, ok?"

"Gladly..." Thrusting into her and biting down on her neck whilst my hand caressed her breast, I just listened to her moaning and gasping as she kept her arms around me. She continued to move herself in order to try and feel more, and I travelled deeper in, eventually hearing her moaning become louder, my name slipping from her lips as she cried out. It was a wonderful feeling knowing that I was the one making her feel this..  
I had wanted this moment to last forever, but a sudden feeling of fatigue came over me when I heard her climax, her screams filling the room as her orgasm took her. I collapsed by her side, just pulling her into my arms and kissing her forhead gently, allowing her to regain her breath whilst I regained mine. I could have never imagined this moment to feel as brilliant as this, and yet it did...

"I love you..." she whispered for the first time, her eyes sliding shut and leaving me in shock. She...loved me?

**Sorry for the bad description and things near the end. .;;; I'm just about to rush off to school, so...enjoy! **


	23. Elena 11

I won't lie to you. That night was perfect, and I'll definitely never forget it. I still think he was lying when he said it was his first time, though. He was too...good for it to be his first time! Also: I was finally able to tell him I loved him. I was glad to have admitted it, to be honest! I'd figured out for sure that I truly meant it, and just couldn't hold it in any longer. I was a bit disappointed that I'd fallen asleep before I'd seen his reaction, though.

I woke up the next morning, feeling an uncomfortable aching between my thighs, but ignoring it. To be honest, I actually felt really sick as well, but I just assumed it was natural and paid no mind to it. I moved closer to Vincent, his arms (which were already around me) tightening their hold on me while he slept. Deciding to let him get his rest, I just quietly lay there in his embrace, my head resting against his shoulder as I buried my face in the crook of his neck, shutting my eyes. Eventually, I shivered, realising just how cold it actually was even with the heat of his body and the bedcovers. I reluctantly extracted myself from his arms and got out of bed, getting dressed. Finally, I got my jacket on and checked my pockets, finding my phone in there. Once I'd found it, I immediately noticed that the screen was glowing, meaning that I'd left it on without realising. When I checked my messages, I almost dropped the phone in shock:

_'You Have 3 Unread Messages'_

Very few people knew my number, so I was hoping that at least one of these texts was from a coworker. I couldn't help but sigh in relief when I saw all three were from Tseng. So, the Turks were alive?

_' There is indeed something suspicious going on. I do hope you are alright. Upon awakening, I was in the house of a resident in North Coral. When I asked what had happened to you, I was told that when I was found, I was alone...so I do hope that you share my fortune and were discovered by a passer by and not by a monster or enemy... Although I do not doubt your fighting ability, As a leader it is only natural for me to be concerned about you all. '_

_'Although difficult to believe, I feel you should know: Reno and Rude were found dead on the coast near Rocket Town...now I am certain that someone is after us. Our separation was planned...this only doubles my concern for you. Stay safe, and reply immediately if you are well. I know for a fact that you are never without your phone, so please reply as soon as you see this. I need to ease this fear.'_

'_So the Turks loses yet another reliable member. Rest in peace, my dear. I apologise for pretending I did not recognise your feelings...and I also apologise for never telling you mine. I was too obsessed with work that I feared a personal life with you would only interfere. I was foolish. I am sorry. And now I am too late. I see that the Lifestream claimed you before I chose to. Farewell. _

Reno and Rude were dead? Tseng had feelings for me? This had to be a dream. It had to be! No, not a dream. A nightmare.

All that information at once...it was so hard to take in. I couldn't believe any of it was real. Time seemed to stop, and everything went silent as I thought about what I'd just read.  
The next sound I heard was that of my phone hitting the bed with a soft thump as my hands covered my mouth. Maybe it was all the emotion and anxiety in me at that moment that did it, but the sickness in me had increased, and before I knew it, I was in the bathroom, throwing up down the toilet. (I had no idea back then that emotion and anxiety had nothing to do with it.) It eventually ended, and I gazed up at the ceiling from where I was kneeling, panting and wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. Flushing to get rid of the 'evidence', I got up and washed my face, just thinking about what I'd just found out and feeling so much guilt and regret. It was all impossible to believe. I'd always gotten into stupid arguments with Reno, and always ended up calling him something harsh...he'd taken those names to the grave now.It was too late for me to apologise and to say I didn't mean it. I walked over to the radiator in the corner of the room and took a towel, drying my face as I looked into the mirror. The girl staring back at me looked disgusted with me, and I was just as disgusted with her. She was pale, her honey coloured eyes bloodshot and red from crying. The white-blonde hair surrounding her face was wet, clinging to her, and her bottom lip trembled with fear and grief. She was weak. She was me. Tears stung my eyes and streamed down my cheeks as I heard sobs escaping my lips, but they weren't loud enough to be heard very clearly.  
"Someone wake me up..." I muttered, shutting my eyes tightly and trying to wake up from this horrible dream. It never happened.  
Leaving the bathroom, I glanced over at the phone I'd left on the bed when I'd rushed off. I couldn't help but think about how Tseng must be feeling worse that I was. He'd lost Reno and Rude, and he thought I was dead, too. Taking the phone in my hand, I opened up a new message and went on to reply to Tseng and tell him I was actually safe:

_'I'm safe. I'm in Nibel. I'm sorry I never replied. I didn't know I had messages until a minute ago. Is it all true? Everything?' _I kept it short. I was too upset and overwhelmed to think of anything else to write, and so I just sent it like that, hoping that Tseng would reply very soon. In the meantime, I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and sat closer to where Vincent was sleeping on the bed. He looked so peaceful there like that, unaware of anything that was going on around him. He'd probably sleep that way for quite some time, as he looked as though he'd been lacking sleep before. I sighed, my fingers running through his hair gently so as not to wake him...in a way, it was kinda comforting...but only a little. I then looked over at the empty space in the bed where I'd been lying, one of Vincent's arms resting across it from when he'd been holding me to him. I'd have given anything to wake up in that space, his arms tightly around me, comforting me and reassuring me that I'd just been having a nightmare, but I knew that wasn't about to happen no matter how hard I wished for it.The phone in my hand vibrated, disturbing me from my thoughts and signalling a new message. With trembling hands, I pressed the button to open the text, and then read what it stated:

'_Thank goodness...I shall soon come for you. Wait for me, alright? We have to look into what has happened lately, and resolve the problem before it gets any more serious. I shall be outside the old manor in a few moments, so be sure to wait for me there so that we can discuss a plan of action.'_

But meeting Tseng meant leaving Vincent. Sure, I wanted to find out about what was going on, I wanted to avenge Reno and Rude, and I still wanted my job as a Turk, but...I didn't want to leave Vincent. I'd have to choose, though. I knew I couldn't have both, so I could get that idea outta my head right now. I had to choose, and not look back. I just had to make the decision with no regrets, and do it fast.

I found myself staring fondly at Vincent sleeping peacefully again. He was so loving and trusting. He'd been hurt before...I didn't want to hurt him as well. Then there was Tseng and my job. Being a Turk was who I was, and all I knew! Why did all this misfortune and badness always seem to find me?! I needed to think hard about this, but time wasn't a thing that I had anymore. Tseng said he'd be outside the ShinRa mansion in a few moments...and that meant that he expected me to be there, too. Tseng wouldn't hang around, especially under such dangerous circumstances..I knew that. It was all too difficult! I wanted to cry, but I knew that wouldn't solve anything. It'd only wake Vincent up and make the decision even harder. If I stayed here with him instead of going to meet Tseng, Tseng would think something had happened to me on the way to meet him, or that I'd quit the Turks...he'd be upset, disappointed, and probably feel many other things too. But if I left Vincent, that'd hurt him and break his heart. We'd come too far for me to turn back now. I'd told him I loved him! I couldn't just take that back and walk out! He'd never walk out on me...so would I ever be forgiven if I walked out on him? Would I be heartless enough to ignore his love for me and deny my love for him by walking out? I couldn't...could I? But I couldn't disappoint Tseng by quitting the Turks, either. No matter how I looked at this, it was a lose-lose situation, and it all depended on me, and me alone. No matter what I chose to do, I'd be seen as a traitor.

After a few more minutes of pannicked thinking, I stood up, and nodded once. I'd thought about this, and decided that I was just going to do it, no matter how hard it was for me. It was my own fault for getting myself into this mess to begin with. That was that. I just had to accept the fact that I was nothing more than a bitch and a traitor.

I'd made my choice.


	24. Vincent 12

**I'm really bad at writing for Tseng. For some reason, my mind keeps wanting to write him like Vincent or Reeve. I'll try to do a better job for the next time, though. I couldn't resist but include that quote from FFVII at the end of this one. I'm really proud of this chapter, but I can't help but feel so sad for Vincent.  
I wrote this chapter with the Nightwish's song "Meadows of Heaven" in my head, and when I read it properly whilst playing that song, I just really felt the nmood properly. It's been a while since I last had that feeling. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Something was different...

Something was wrong...

Awoken by the creaking of the door handle and the soft bang of the door shutting, I looked around me to find myself alone. She had gone, and taken my heart with her. The room felt colder and darker now...I missed her so much...so much that it hurt, tearing me up inside...I just wanted her to come back. Having her in my arms...it gave me more comfort than I could even begin to describe. I felt safe and at peace...I did not fully appreciate this until after she had walked out. To know that she had left me, and that she had left no sign of wanting to return...it truly killed me inside...but what could I do? Nothing. She had left me, so surely she did not wish to be near me...but last night, had she not told me that she loved me...? I felt confused. What was I supposed to think? What was I to feel? The woman I loved had just walked out on me...but what hurts the most is that I thought she was feeling what I was feeling. I thought she loved me...

My body was shaking...my eyes were stinging with tears, but I tried to force them back down. I didn't wish to show them...  
Sitting up, I leaned fowards, clutching the bedcovers and pulling them towards me, burying my face in them and shutting my eyes tightly. Her scent still faintly lingered on the bedcovers...if I concentrated, I could possibly pretend that she was still here...that she was feeling the same love I was feeling. I heard myself sobbing, pulling the bedcovers closer to my face and hiding beneath them. My eyes opened, and I let the bedcovers slip from my grasp, my sobs never fading. Gazing down at the space where she had been lying next to me, I placed my hand back down against that part of the mattress.

I remember that she had looked particularly beautiful last night...a smile of such great happiness dancing on her lips...

"If you were so happy last night...why did you leave me like this, Elena...?"

Perhaps she had awoken this morning with the sudden realisation of what she had done. Perhaps she had seen me for what I truly was: a monster. I do not blame her for running away...I was fortunate to have gotten as far as I did with someone like her...I had no right to complain.

Outside, the rain battered hard against the window, knocking against it as loudly as though someone was outside throwing stones at it. I suppose it somewhat matched how I was feeling inside in some ways. Sunshine definitely had no place within me...not anymore. I heard myself sigh as I looked around the room. It was almost in complete darkness, except for very faint light that flowed through the window. My thoughts strayed back to Elena...how stunning she would have looked even in such gloom as this...

She had caused me this misery. I wanted to hate her...to blame her...but I just couldn't.

"Come back, Elena...please...come back...I...I love you, Elena...come back to me..." I whispered, my voice trembling almost as much as my body was.

I then thought of her confession...

Why would she confess her love for me if she had none? She seemed too kind to do something as cruel as that...

What if she had not left of her own free will? What if she had been stolen away by the enemy? If that were true...could I just sit here in silence and self-pity..? "No.." I murmured, my gaze moving to the ground. If my thoughts were true, then I had to do something. I had to help her. I had no choice but to go after her. If I wished to have her back so desperately, then it was up to me to bring her back.

Getting out bed, I quickly got dressed and made sure that I had the key to the room in my hand. Heading to the window to see if I could find her outside, I gazed out into the murky darkness of the morning, and squinted to try and see through the heavy rain that splattered down onto the street below. I immediately regretted doing so. The sight that met my eyes ripped so viciously at my heart that I could do nothing other watch, one hand pressed against the glass. Oh yes, I had indeed found her...and she was not alone.

They stood outside the ShinRa manor in the pouring rain, the dark-haired male with his arm around Elena's shoulders whilst he held his jacket up over her head to prevent her from getting wet...and yet she gave no resistence. It was as though I meant nothing to her... but I suppose compared to him, I did not. I was merely a pass-time to keep her occupied. Now that Tseng had returned for her, I was no longer of use. Yes, I understood...I understood all too well. After all: what use is the supporting act once the main event has arrived...? Once again, I was forced to stand down...to step back and admit defeat. Elena had loved him for so long...how could I compare...?

As they walked away, out of my view, my eyes slid shut and tears trickled down my cheeks. I didn't care that I appeared weak in that moment...it felt as though nothing mattered anymore...not now that she had gone...  
I sank to my knees, trembling as I just remained there, my arms tightly clutching at my cape and pulling it around myself. Sobbing softly, my mind just taunted and scolded me for causing myself such pain...I had been foolish to have expected her to stay...she would never...not whilst her true love interest remained out there somewhere. She had merely remained by my side whilst she waited for him. And that waiting had not gone without reward...

So, as much as it pains me to do so...I give her to you, Tseng. Her happiness is what is most important, and that happiness appears to be only with you...so I shall not make her miserable by forcing her to remain by my side. Take her, and love her dearly. I only wish that I could have done so...and it is only in my dreams that I am truly able to. Whislt you enjoy her company...I am left to clutch desperately at dreams and memories...mere fantasies, and nothing more. Although envious of you, I cannot hope to compete with you...her heart shall never truly be mine, no matter what I do. Not whilst she still dreams of you... but...maybe this is for the best...

"As long as she is happy...I don't mind...as long as she is happy..."


	25. Elena 12

**I think this probably isn't one of my better chapters, but I hope I did ok. Hope you enjoy the chapter...and the little surprise (or maybe not so surprising occurence) I've left at the end. Ok, so it might be kinda early for them to tell really, but this is Final Fantasy. Things are allowed to be different. Besides..I wasn't really sure when else I could put this chapter. Hehe...anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

I bet you see me as the bad guy now, don't you? Go ahead and say it. It's ok, because I agree. I made a bad choice to do what I did, and I regret doing it...but it's done, now. Sure, I'm heartless, evil, and all those other bad things, but in my mind...I really thought I was doing the right thing. I...really thought he'd understand. Everyone makes mistakes, right? This was just one of my more serious ones.

We walked away together in the heavy rain, Tseng's jacket held over my head and his arm around my shoulders. Once upon a time, this would've been perfect. Something from one of my dreams, maybe...not anymore. Not after all I'd been through with Vincent. To be honest, I just wanted to go back to him. It was my own fault that I was feeling this, though. Just like it was my fault that Vincent would wake up alone."I'm sorry..." I muttered under my breath.

"Did you say something?"

"Huh? Oh...no, nothing."

I felt so stupid right now. I know it hurts to have your heart broken, and I'd done just that to Vincent. The only way to fix what I'd done was to go back to the room and just pretend I'd just gone for a walk, but I couldn't do that. That wasn't an option now. Tseng and I were already on our way back to Midgar...that was where I belonged.

* * *

We'd returned to Midgar later that day after discussing our plans in the chopper we'd called out. To be honest, I wasn't really focussing on the conversation, but I'd managed to get the basic outline: first, we'd return to the ShinRa building, head to the medical lab and run an examination just to make sure we were ok after 'what we'd been through' or something. Next, we'd run a search on the enemy (I had no idea how we were going to do that if we didn't even have a name, but I guess we'd sort something out...so I just nodded and pretended to understand), and then organise back-up, before heading over to the enemy location and basically killing everyone before they got to kill us. Nice.

Climbing out of the chopper, I had to admit that 'where I belonged' wasn't exactly the most welcoming and comforting sight I'd ever seen. The city was completely flooded with its usual murky darkness, the only proper lights being the ones that shone from the ShinRa building. Even in the evening, there was still a cold chill in the stagnant air. It really made me miss Nibel...I'd spent enough time there to have gotten used to the warm environment of that town, that it made everything about Midgar seem so cold and artificial...I really did miss Nibel now I'd left. Or did I just miss Vincent? Either way, I couldn't help but feel that I shouldn't be here.

After a few moments, I began feeling that same sickness I'd been feeling this morning. Suddenly that examination was beginning to sound better and better. Maybe it would help me figure out why the heck I kept getting this feeling. With that thought in mind, I stepped through the glass doors into the building and headed over to the elevator. Pressing down on a few buttons on the keypad, the heavy metal doors slid shut, and I was taken down to the medical lab. Stepping out of the elevator as soon as the doors had opened once more, I cringed a bit. Just when I thought this place couldn't look more cold...I guess after my visit to Nibel, I was seeing this place through different eyes. I'd never judged Midgar before, but now...now I was wishing that I'd never come back.

"Tseng told us you'd be here. Please come this way."

A woman of about my age (maybe even a little older) with long, red hair and brown eyes had just arrived while I'd been thinking about Nibel. Fiddling with the collar of her lab coat, she smiled softly at me. "You know the usual procedure, right? This isn't your first time down here. It's just a few scans, really..then you get the results back. Remember?"

"Yeah, I got it." I muttered, nodding once, and then heading through the door opposite.

It didn't take as long as I'd remembered before...but the results of the examination still took painfully long to come through. Then again, it's not like I had any work I was supposed to be doing or anything, so I had no reason to be complaining. I waited in silence, standing outside the door to the office while they checked over the paperwork and everything. I really didn't know what was taking them so long. They'd found all the wounds that the hitman had caused me, so what else was there to find? I sighed quietly, thinking back to when Vincent had found those wounds...he'd been so gentle and careful when bandaging them up. It was kind of sweet, really. "I miss him so much..." I muttered, gazing down at the ground sadly.

"Um...Elena...?" A rather high pitched, timid voice asked from the direction of the office door. My attention snapped over there immediately. It was the same girl who had done the examination, but...why was she looking so surprised? "I'm sorry, but could I ask you to come in here and look at this?" she questioned, before heading back into the office. I followed, feeling confused and rather worried. Why had she asked me to come in? Surely there was nothing really seriously wrong with me?

"Um...it's...just over here." she stated, pointing at a computer monitor that stood on a desk in the corner of the small office. Approaching it, I glanced at the screen. All I saw was a bunch of scientific looking text and images that looked like X-rays or results of the scans, or something. Turning to the young woman, I raised one eyebrow and asked: "You really expect me to understand this? I don't know what any of this means."

"It means...that...you're pregnant."

That all too familiar feeling of sickness came over me again, and both of my hands shot up to cover my mouth. She couldn't be serious! This had to be some kind of mean joke! My hands then returned to my sides and I glanced back at the screen, then at the girl again. "I-...this...it..but..." I couldn't speak...what could I say? Shaking my head, I raced out of the room and back to the elevator, trembling as I got inside. The doors banged shut, and I pressed the 'up' button on the keypad. As the elevator ascended, I covered my mouth once more, my eyes shutting tightly as I broke into tears. How could this be...?

"Vincent..." I sobbed, making no effort to hold my tears back. I just wanted to be with him again.


	26. Vincent 13

Days, or perhaps even weeks went by...sleepless nights, and thoughts of Elena constantly filling my mind. I found it difficult to tell just how much time had passed since I had last heard from Elena. In truth, I couldn't help but worry about her...I just hoped that she was safe. However, deep down I still found it difficult to forgive her for what she had done. To walk away without a word...was she unable to face me? Or was it that she did not wish to? Rather than brooding over it, I continued my life as normal. Perhaps I was trying to forget her...or maybe pretend that nothing had ever happened...but it was just too hard. No matter where I went or what I did, my thoughts always strayed back to her. Yes, I still missed her...and yes, even after she had chosen Tseng rather than I, I still loved her.

A faint knocking came on the door of the room, immediately drawing my attention to it. It had been so quiet...had I imagined it? However, just as I was about to cast it aside as my mind playing tricks on me, the knocking came again, but only a fraction louder, and perhaps even somewhat pannicked or frantic. Getting up, I headed over to the door. Part of me was rather hesitant to answer, as there was a chance that the person on the other side could be an enemy, but there was only one way to find out for certain. Taking the key, I slid it into the lock and turned it, unlocking the door and opening it, gazing down at the person standing there.

Before I had a chance to react, she had rushed in, slamming the door behind and sliding down into a sitting position on the ground, her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Catching her breath and tucking a stray strand of white-blond hair behind her ears, she glanced up at me, a pair of honey-coloured eyes gazing at me, full of fear and worry. She had come back.

"I...I really need to talk to you. About several things."

"Oh...?" I heard myself mutter bitterly, my eyes narrowing as I looked away. I wanted to ask about Tseng, but I had a feeling that asking such questions would lead to an argument between myself and Elena. In truth, I had not realised just how much jealousy (and perhaps anger or even hatred) I harboured towards Tseng until Elena had appeared before me again. I just wanted her to be mine, and mine alone. Was that too much to ask...? Yes...yes, I suppose it was. I was being selfish again. Her happiness was what mattered...even if that happiness was with another man. I was glad to see her again, though...truly I was...but how could I express it? Part of me didn't wish to express it at all, yet another part of me wanted to take her in my arms again and never release her...

Seemingly oblivious to the bitter tones in my voice, she simply continued on with what she wanted to say:

"Um...well...I've been back to Midgar. We've run a search on a certain Mr. Bernard Dylan and his faction. It turns out that they're the ones responsible for everything that's been going on lately. We found out some information about him that's pretty interesting, though. Apparently, he was a faithful employee of ShinRa...a SOLDIER, according to his file in the database, but he quit for unknown reasons. Whatever that reason is, though...it's caused him to bear a pretty big grudge against ShinRa. That's why he'd been trying to wipe out all the employees, starting near the top. The Turks. Anyway, since then, he'd been building his own little empire, and now it's almost as powerful as ShinRa, but Dylan's faction has nowhere near as much notoriety as ShinRa does. We then found out the location of this thriving company of his, only to find that it's deep within Mt.Nibel...so he's a damned clever guy. Not only in his battle strategy and physical ability, but he's sought out a place that's secluded and out of the way. Someplace no-one would ever find it. Although it's big, his company's not something someone might stumble upon unless they were looking for it."

Well, congratulations to them. So...the only reason she had returned was to carry out a mission, was it?

"I see." I apologise for the lack of enthusiasm, but hearing the life story of this Bernard Dylan was not exactly what I'd wanted from Elena. As if reading my expression, Elena cleared her throat rather uneasily as she kept her eyes on me.

"There was uh...one more thing I wanted to tell you. I thought you ought to know.." This statement immediately grabbed my attention, and my gaze was once again fixed on her.

"Go on..."

"Well...um...I got a medical scan thing when I was at headquarters...um...I've had a few of those scans since I've been back in Midgar. I needed to come and tell you the result because it's...kinda important."

"Important...?" I had a bad feeling about this. The serious expression that dominated her face worried me somewhat. The news had to be bad if she was as serious as this. "What's going on...?" My mind was begging her not to say that she was going to die...I wanted her to be safe. More than anything, I wished for her to be safe...

"I...well..." She turned away, her eyes closing as she nervously bit down on her bottom lip. I could no longer stand it. I needed to know what was happening. I was too worried to think clearly...so worried that I failed to realise that I was shouting at her until I had finished.

"Tell me!" I found that I had grasped her shoulders tightly...tightly enough to make her wince and tremble in what could have been fear.

"I...I'm pregnant!" she replied in a fearful tone, her voice just as loud as mine had been. Her eyes closed, she kept her head turned away even after I had released her. Even after I had backed away towards the opposite wall in shock. I watched her from the shadows, my eyes wide, my breathing fast. She was trembling still, tears racing faster and faster down her cheeks.

"...Who...?" I began, trying to ask who the father was, but I found myself unable to. "It's Tseng's, isn't it...?" Suddenly, all of the sadness and jealousy I had been feeling earlier all welled up inside of me to create anger...and plenty of it. I truly regretted the fact that this anger was unleashed on Elena... "It's Tseng's, isn't it? That's why you came here to tell me...isn't it?! So...I suppose what you said about loving me...that was a lie!" Inside, I felt cruel...but yet the anger overpowered any guilt that came from shouting at her. Although I had admitted that I had given Elena to Tseng...the very thought of him touching her like I had made me feel nauseous...I was brought back to reality by a hand colliding with my cheek, the very force behind the slap causing my cheek to burn with pain as my head was turned, my eyes widening in shock. She had hit me...? I suppose I had deserved it after everything I had said. My gaze returned to her as I slowly turned my head to face her once again.

"Don't shout at me, you cold-hearted bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?!" she yelled, her fists clenched and those honey coloured eyes narrowed, filled with tears and burning into me. "Sure, you've got a right to be angry about me walking out, but don't you dare assume that I've done anything with Tseng! Who the hell do you think I am, Vincent?! Some kind of whore who jumps into bed with any guy she meets?! If you think that, then...then...then you're the liar, Valentine! You're the one who's been lying about being in love!"

My right hand covering my sore cheek, my eyes shut tightly. Once again, I felt my entire body trembling, but I managed to hold in my tears this time. I truly was a fool...here she was, standing before me just as I had wanted, and yet I had upset her through anger and jealousy...Elena wasn't who I was angry with...I was angry with myself. "I...I don't...think that at all...Elena, I'm...I'm sorry. This wasn't how I wanted this to be..."

"Vince...?" she asked unsurely, glancing at me in questioning and approaching me somewhat uneasily. After a little hesitation, she had taken hold of both of my arms, wrapping them around herself and embracing me...I just tightened my grip on her, planting soft kisses amongst her hair and whispering constant apologies.

"I do love you...I do...when I woke up to find you gone, and then looked outside and saw you walk away with him...it hurt me so much...it hurt because I love you...and I thought you loved _me_..." Listening to myself, I sounded so foolish, but I just wanted her to understand. "I couldn't sleep...I...I didn't know what to do-..."

"Shhh..." she murmured softly, gently running her fingers through my hair and just holding me tighter. We remained silently in that firm embrace for some time, until Elena spoke once more: "Vince, I'm going to try and comfort you a bit by telling you the truth. The father of this baby...um...well...it's...it's you. You're the father."

Upon hearing that, my heart was racing...I was going to be a father...? Holding her closer and tighter, I felt that familiar feeling of comfort and peace. I never wanted to let her go... never. Not for anything, or anyone. I was lost for words, and so remained silent, but yet I could no longer repel the guilt that came as a result of my earlier actions...I felt so cruel now for saying what I did. She had been right to call me a cold-hearted bastard...because that was what I was. Gently lifting her up into my arms, (much to her surprise) I placed her carefully down on the bed, sitting down next to her. Gently moving her so that she was lying across my lap, I just cradled her in my arms, securely, firmly and tightly, never wanting to loosen my hold for fear that she would disappear again...I didn't want her to run away from me. Being apart from her was far too painful... I needed to be near her, now...and I would do all in my power to support her throughout her pregnancy, as long as she stayed close to me. She rested peacefully in my arms, staring fondly up at me. It felt odd to think that one day, I would be holding our child in this way... Thinking that thought caused me to hold Elena closer, and murmur: "Please...stay with me, alright? Let me protect you, care for you, and keep you safe...you don't have to love me, just...stay close."


	27. Elena 14

**Yay, the next chapter's finally up! The Reeve thing may seem a bit random, but I just wanted an excuse to use him somewhere.**

* * *

I felt bad about leaving Vincent for so long without contacting him, but I just never had time. That, and I guess I was a little scared. A Turk's life leaves no time for slacking, (despite what Reno used to think) especially when that Turk is pregnant. When I wasn't working, I was getting some sort of medical check-up to make sure the kid was healthy. Sure, it seems like a bit much, but...well..I guess you can never be too careful. While I was getting those check-ups, I guess I got to thinking: what was going to happen once this baby was born? Would I still be able to be a Turk? Would I still want to? It would be a little scary if I had to leave the Turks...it was all I knew, really.

* * *

The information about a suspicious Mr. Bernard Dylan flickered on the screen in front of me as I sat in my chair in the dark office. It was getting pretty late...the only light left in the room was that which came from the monitor, and the room was completely silent save for the consistent buzzing of the computer. To be honest, I hadn't been paying attention to any of this information, and I'd just been reading the first sentence over and over again... I guess my heart wasn't really in it right now. It was out there in the world, still with that wonderful man that I'd left alone. Why had I left him, again? To come back here. I was so stupid...I used to adore my work here, because I really tried. I was pretty damn good at it, too! Okay, so that's a lie...but...but I really did try. But now...now I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to try anymore.

"What in the name of hell am I doing here...?" I groaned softly, placing arms up on the desk and leaning forwards, slouching in my seat. As soon as I had done so, I felt a gently weight against my back. Snarling, I glanced over my shoulder with a look in my eyes that obviously showed that I really didn't want to be disturbed.

"Now, there's a question that I never thought I would hear _you_ask, my dear." A familiar voice stated with a little amusement. I was a little surprised to hear someone had walked into the room without me realising, but I was probably just daydreaming too much to realise that the door had opened."You haven't seemed yourself at all lately."

"Guess not..." I muttered in response, shaking my head and giving a soft smile. As soon as I'd recognised Reeve in the dim light, I figured that I couldn't stay angry. I don't know what it was about him, but he always seemed to know exactly the right thing to say to make me feel better. "Lately I've just been really feeling that I don't belong here at all. You know I was in Nibel recently, right? Well, since I've been back here, I just feel that I want to go back. I really miss Vi-...um..someone I met there."

"Nibelheim, you say...?" he murmured thoughtfully, gazing over at the screen in front of me. After he'd read what was on the screen, I could've sworn I heard him faintly chuckling as he glanced at me. "You said that you want to go back?"  
In response to that, I just nodded and raised one eyebrow as though to ask: 'why's that funny?!' It turns out that he wasn't laughing at me, at all. He placed his left hand gently under my chin and turned my head to face the screen. Leaning closer, he watched from over my shoulder, using his right hand to move the computer mouse and highlight a sentence that read: '...located somewhere in the heart of Mt.Nibel.' "Perhaps I'm mistaken, but...this seems like a perfect excuse to return, don't you think?" he asked in a low tone, barely above a whisper.

My eyes widened as I read that sentence again and again. "Why didn't I see that?!" I gasped, a smile returning to my lips as I turned and hugged him without warning. "Thank you!"  
He seemed surprised, but just returned the hug, gently patting my back once before he let go.

"It's not a problem. In case I don't see you again before you leave on your new mission, be careful won't you?" With that, he turned and made his way out of the room. However, he stopped at the doorway for a few seconds, glancing over his shoulder with a small smile on his lips and adding: "And say hello to Vincent for me."  
That request caused my cheeks to feel a little warmer as a faint blush appeared over them. Hastily printing off the information, I left the room and went to discuss this new mission with Tseng, my heart pounding wildly at the very thought of seeing Vincent again.

* * *

I couldn't wait any longer. Upon breathing in that familiar clear air and seeing Nibelheim again for the first time in what felt like years, I felt too eager to be by his side again. Making some excuse about having to go and check something out, I raced off towards the small dark-brick building that I recognised as the inn, my mind begging him to still be there. _Please...you've gotta be here, Valentine! You have to be!  
_My heart pounded faster and faster as I approached the door to his room. I was getting more anxious to see him, but I was also really nervous. Was he angry with me for walking out? How was he gonna react? I waited outside for several minutes, just trying to calm myself down. This would probably be one of my only chances to see him, so I just had to do this right. Nervously, with a trembling hand, I knocked on the door lightly. No response. My fist knocked again. Louder this time, and more frantic. I could hear movement coming from inside, and I waited with baited breath. Would it be him? And if it was...what would I say? What would I do if he was angry? The lock clicked, and the door creaked open...

There he was, gazing down at me. Before he had the chance to shut the door, (if he'd wanted to) I quickly raced in and slammed the door behind me, sitting down on the ground and nervously hugging my knees to my chest. "I...I really need to talk to you. About several things."

"Oh...?" He didn't really sound all that happy...but I couldn't blame him. After all, I'd walked out on him and broken his heart, after all. If it were me, I wouldn't exactly be welcoming me with open arms, either. I had to say something to break this awkward silence...so I spoke about the first thing that came to mind.

I must've sounded so stupid, acting all professional and explaining about Bernard Dylan's faction. Surely I could've told him something else that he actually cared about like why I'd walked out, or about the baby, or something! But no...no I could never be that smart. I wasn't too surprised when I heard his unimpressed reaction of: "I see." I had to say something. I couldn't exactly put off telling him about the baby for much longer, either. I'd have to tell him at some point, so that 'point' may as well be now:

"There was uh...one more thing I wanted to tell you. I thought you ought to know..."

"Go on..." he muttered quietly, his attention completely on me once again. He looked a little worried, though.

"Well...um...I got a medical scan thing when I was at headquarters...um..I've had a few of those scans since I've been back in Midgar. I needed to come and tell you the result because it's...kinda important."

"Important...?" Now he really sounded worried, and was staring at me with such concern that I felt a little uneasy. "What's going on...?"

"I...well..." Feeling a little unsure, I looked away, biting my lip gently as I thought of how I was gonna tell him this. However, before I had the chance to think, he was in front of me, gripping my shoulders so tightly that it hurt.

"Tell me!" he yelled, his eyes flashing with what looked like anger. It was pretty terrifying, as much as I hate to admit it. I hadn't trembled like that because of fear for some time. Valentine truly scared me when he was angry, and it was because of this that I accidentally let it slip:

"I...I'm pregnant!" I couldn't believe it...I'd just told him. And as I'd told him, he'd let go of me like he'd been burnt, backing away towards the opposite wall and hiding amongst the shadows. He stared at me from there, and I trembled under his gaze, tears of terror racing down my cheeks and silently dripping to the ground as we stood in silence. Then he spoke...and as he did so, that terror built up inside of me and became anger. I became angry because he was still shouting at me. Sure, I took the blame for walking out, but not for wha he accused me of next:

"...Who...?...It's Tseng's, isn't it...? It's Tseng's isn't it? That's why you came here to tell me...isn't it?! So I suppose what you said about loving me..that was a lie!"

How could he just stand there and shout at me like that? Was he honestly stupid enough not to realise that this kid was his?! Now I was even beginning to wish that I'd never come back here to him. Was there anywhere that I felt I belonged anymore? I thought I belonged with Valentine, but...I guess I was wrong. Well, whatever...I wasn't about to let him stand there and speak to me like that! I wasn't that weak! BEsfe I even realised what I'd done, I'd slapped him and snapped: "Don't shout at me, you cold-hearted bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?! Sure, you've got a right to be angry about me walking out, but don't you dare assume that I've done anything with Tseng! Who the hell do you think I am, Vincent?! Some kind of whore who jumps into bed with any guy she meets?! If you think that, then...then...then you're the liar, Valentine! You're the one who's been lying about being in love!" Maybe I'd taken it too far and done a bit much...I felt awful after all of that, especially after hitting him and calling him what I had, but I didn't let it show. I just watched, trying to figure out what he'd do next.  
At first he just stood there, frozen, his hand covering the cheek I'd slapped with his eyes shut. He was a pretty difficult guy to read, so I had to watch him pretty carefully. Eventually, he spoke, his voice so much softer and gentler than it had been previously: "I...I don't...think that at all...Elena, I'm...I'm sorry. This wasn't how I wanted this to be..." He was a little bit like a child who'd just been punished in the way he was acting...he just seemed so timid and helpless. Had I really hit him that hard?

"Vince...?" I was a bit uncertain of what to do. I wanted to apologise, but I'd done too much to him now. An apology would seem so pathetic. Instead, I just carefully approached him, and took hold of his arms, wrapping them around me. He immediately held me close, making me feel safe...yeah, this was where I belonged. Definitely. He kissed the top of my head, apologising again and again, murmuring things like: "I do love you...I do...when I woke up to find you gone, and then looked outside and saw you walk away with him...it hurt me so much...it hurt because I love you...and I thought you loved me...I couldn't sleep...I...I didn't know what to do-..."

"Shhh..." I felt awful now. That misery he'd been feeling...it was all because of me! I wasn't a good person...really, I wasn't, and yet he still loved me after all of this. He really was so trusting. Knowing that just made me feel so much worse. I began running my fingers through his hair carefully to calm myself and to try and soothe him. I still hadn't told him the truth...maybe telling him that he was the father of this baby would make him feel at least a little better, I thought...so I gave it a try: "Vince, I'm going to try and comfort you a bit by telling you the truth. The father of this baby...um...well...it's...it's you. You're the father." There. I'd said it. Now, I just awaited the reaction.  
It was a surprising reaction to say the least. At first, he just pulled me in closer while he waited for the information to properly sink in and register. After a little while, he suddenly lifted me up into his arms, and carried me to the bed. I found myself lying across his lap, with him cradling me close to his chest. I felt so at peace here, and he looked so happy. I'd missed that smile so much that I was really glad to see it again. He held me tighter and closer, leaning down and muttering:

"Please...stay with me, alright? Let me protect you, care for you, and keep you safe...you dont have to love me, just...stay close."

I felt another soft blush work its way across my cheeks as he said that, and I gazed up at him fondly. "Listen: I told you before, didn't I? I..I do. I...I love you, ok? So stop doubting that." I wasn't angry anymore...all that anger had faded away. I just wanted him to see that I felt the way he did, even if he didn't realise that. He looked down at me in that loving way of his...so kind and so trusting...

"I know its getting late, but...but could you come with me?" he questioned, releasing me and getting off the bed. He waited until I was ready, and then took my hand, leading me out of the inn and into the night. Nibel looked so pretty that night...the full moon was high in the sky, surrounded by small stars that looked like chalk against a black sheet. It really was pretty beautiful. I was beginning to wonder where he was taking me. We walked a little way away from town, coming to a completely empty field. It was peaceful, but...it seemed suspiciously quiet. Even so, I trusted him. We stood there in that field, the gently breeze blowing around us and the grass swaying happily. It really was the perfect image...

"Would you close your eyes for a few moments? I'll tell you when to open them again." Something seemed wrong with the way he had asked that. He seemed worried about something...he seemed really nervous, and he definitely wasn't acting himself. Even so, I did as he commanded, feeling him take one of my hands in his. He was trembling...why was he trembling? He really was acting kinda weird...however, it didn't take long to find out why. "Open." he muttered once, and as I did so, I gasped rather loudly, my hands shooting up to cover my mouth. He was on one knee, gazing up at me lovingly, but also rather fearfully. Usually this meant-...no...but he couldn't possibly want to... but before I could finish that thought, he had spoken: "Elena...I wasn't planning on asking this so soon, yet...it just seems appropriate now, given the situation you are currently in...will you...erm...will you...please...marry me...?"


	28. The Killing Moon Has Risen Too Soon

**I'll apologise in advance. I just feel so mean for writing this chapter the way I did, but...I had this all planned out in my head already, so...here goes! Don't hate me, ok? **

**I wrote this chapter to the song "My Immortal". I hope that this is a good one...  
I might add one more chapter after this one, but we're getting close to the end now. I hope you've been enjoying the story!**

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I gazed up at her, feeling more love than I had ever felt before...yet I felt so nervous deep inside. Would she accept me? Or would she run away once more? She had seemed so shocked...I just pray that I had not frightened her...

It had seemed appropriate to ask her to marry me now...it would have been wrong not to, now that she was carrying my child. Perhaps I was just thinking too much ...perhaps I was moving too fast...now I will never know...for, in the time that I shared with Elena, nothing was ever able to go perfectly, and what happened next was an example of this. I am not blaming her...of course I'm not. She never did anything wrong...but still, everything seemed to get in the way of our happiness, no matter what. Nothing could ever be perfect. Nothing ever stayed just the way we wanted it to. Maybe the world was out to get us...

Maybe it was just never meant to be...

We were there, frozen and captured in eachother's gaze. It was pure perfection...I should have known that it would never go right, though. The flawless night...her beauty under the full moon...it wouldn't last. It would slip away from me in an instant as I watched...as I watched everything I held dear be stolen away from me. Were I stronger, perhaps I would have been able to do more to help...maybe, if that were so, things would be different, now. Perhaps I would be with her rather than sitting here in grief, telling my story to you...

"...please...marry me...?"

"Oh...I...I..." she stuttered, her honey coloured eyes wide, and I spotted tears glinting in the corners of them. I loved her so... "Vince, I...I...I-..."

The sound of guns being fired simultaneously shocked me, and the field filled with smoke...and the scent of gunfire, and blood.

Her blood.

I heard the lingering sound of screams of shock and pain fill the air.

Her scream as she collapsed in agony...and mine, too.

A loud cackle sounded from behind, teamed with the sound of a blade cutting through the air. He was here. Bernard Dylan, nemesis of ShinRa...he had come for her. I can only assume that the guns that had felled her had belonged to his men. I wouldn't give him --or anyone, for that matter-- the satisfaction of finishing her. I would save her...I wasn't certain of how I would do it, but damn it...I _would_ save her, somehow! As the blade cut through the air and neared Elena's chest, I threw myself over her, my body a shield for hers. (This worked to only a minimal effect however, as the blade not only slid through my skin, but pierced hers also.) My scream shot through the air, as blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, dripping down on to Elena who lay below me. She gazed up, lying there...so pale...so weakened...but yet, she still smiled at me...she still reached up to wipe the blood from my chin.

"I'm sorry.." she mumbled weakly. "I...really...wanted to say...yes..."

"No! No...don't...don't say that..." I whispered to her, my voice trembling with fear, sadness and rage. "Hold on...please, Elena. Hold on for me! You...you still can say yes! We're going to get through this, Elena..I promise you! Just...hold on for a little longer...!" I pleaded, turning my head to the side in order to glance over my shoulder at the crazed face of the man standing over me. Ripping the sword from my chest, I clutched my wound as I forced myself to my feet. Stumbling somewhat, I grunted in pain as I heard the gunfire again, feeling the bullets rip through my body, impaling my flesh and splattering more of my blood to the ground.

"You see? I've won. I won...because I, Bernard Dylan always win! And I shall continue to win long after the two of you are dead!"

I loathed the man...he had dared to hurt Elena...and now he had the nerve to gloat? He would pay dearly for this...he would suffer...I would make sure of that...

* * *

Panting, I fell back, covered in both my own blood as well as Mr. Dylan's. It seemed that after observing the death of their master, the snipers had retreated. Lifting the bastard's sword up, I plunged it deep into his chest, through his heart, watching in mild, sadistic satisfaction as the blood flowed freely from his body. And then I remembered just why I loathed him so...

Turning, I rushed to Elena's side, gently lifting her up into my arms as I knelt down on the ground. As much as I hated to admit it, I had little strength to do much else...it was difficult enough to keep myself kneeling upright. "Someone...please...help us!" I heard my voice cry out as I continuously tried healing her with a Restore materia. Her wounds were much too serious, however...slowly but surely, she was slipping away from me. I knew already that it was far too late for our child, but if I could save Elena...if I could save her, then at least I would have accomplished something. I felt tears stinging in my eyes, slipping down my cheeks at the very thought of losing her... "Please...! Please, Elena!" I sobbed, holding her closer, refusing to let her go.

"Vin...cent..." It was the final word that she forced out...she had no more strength. We had been so close to living a normal life...so close...too close...but it had all been stolen away at the last second. I couldn't help but cry...cry like a child as those beautiful honey-coloured eyes slid closed for the final time...

"Why...? Why did it have to be _you_?!" I demanded."Please...open your eyes! I...I love you! Please!" I received no response...her eyes remained closed, her head tilted to one side as her white-blonde hair fell across her face. Blood trickled from between her lips, and seeped from her wounds..

Yes...it was as I had feared. She was dead...  
There was no more I could do now...it was too late, and I...I was too weak. Too limited. All I could do, was cradle her ever closer. Not even the Lifestream would steal her away if I could help it...!

But of course, I couldn't help it. Because I couldn't help anything...not even my reason to live. She was long gone...and now, she was returning to the planet right before my eyes, taking the pieces of my heart with her. I loved her so dearly, and yet I had failed to protect her... I couldn't help but feel that this was all my fault. I had been the one to suggest that we go outside, and she had agreed, following me...trusting me...if only we had stayed inside, none of this would have happened. In my head, this had all seemed so perfect...I would propose, she would say yes...we would embrace, perhaps kiss, and return to the inn...we would marry, and raise the child...

But now it can never be more than a fantasy.

So...now you know.

Now you have heard.

So you see, as I watch her body return to the planet...as I watch her become blue beads of light and fade into the sky, I ask you again, just as I did at the beginning, which was truly the end...do not for one moment mistake me as the victim...for I was unable to save her. Here I remain, kneeling in the pool of my own blood as I gaze up at the full moon above. How could such a beautiful night be so...cruel? To slaughter such a fair maiden beneath its face? And then simply watch on...and remain in the sky as though nothing had happened? However, I suppose to the moon and the heavens above, it was just another murder...just another crime to add to humanity's list of sins...

..and to my own.

No doubt the sunrise to follow this fateful night would be the coldest yet...a sunrise I could never appreciate...nor could I ever admire it. Just as I shall never again see the true elegance of a full moon hanging in the sky...for what is elegant about murder? Bloodshed? The sounds of gunfire and screams?

"The killing moon has truly come...far...too soon..."


	29. You Still Have All Of Me

**The next chapter's up! This one was written to the song "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge (yep, I like to listen to lots of music to set the mood when I write.) so it might be a little sad.****.**

**Wow...I can't believe I've finished my first ever fanfiction! **

**Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it. I should start writing another one soon, hopefully.**

* * *

We were back in the field once more, surrounded by the immaculate night that had blessed us previously. The full moon was high in the sky, glowing and illuminating the otherwise empty field..but this time, there were no assassins. There was just us. Myself, and Elena..

"El...Elena..!" I began, lost for words. Had I not just witnessed her death mere moments ago...?

"Vincent." Elena began, taking a small step towards me. Even in dreams...even in death, I loved her...and she appeared as astounding as usual. She looked like she always had...only, her angelic features seemed more apparent. Her white-blonde hair hung down, one side seeming longer than the other, and a gentle smile graced her soft lips as the moonlight hit her in a way that gave the illusion that a halo ringed her head... it even looked as though some kind of holy light was surrounding her body...moonlight truly is a mystical thing, to give such illusions. Those honey-coloured eyes were gazing at me, and me only...after all this pain that she had suffered, she was still able to stand before me and smile. My gaze moved to the rest of her body...I found myself embarrassed to look at her face...perhaps I was nervous...or perhaps I was trying to determine whether or not this was reality. I stared. I just stared at the beauty before me: the pale skin of her body underneath the Turk uniform, which was bloodstained in some places. I couldn't help but smile sadly as I recalled touching that skin. My line of sight moved to her hands: pale as always, yes, just like the rest of her body. Small, or..maybe petite is a kinder term...but on one hand, something caught my eye...there was a small, silver ring on one slender finger, a clear white stone glittering in the light. The soft sound of Elena giggling brought my attention back to her face. She was...laughing...? "Vince, didn't I say that I really wanted to say yes to you?"

A blush came to my cheeks as I remembered, but I also looked away once more in sadness. Yes...she had wanted to agree to marry me, but then she had..died...but I was confused: if she had died, how was she standing before me now? How was she wearing the ring...?

"Why won't you look at me, Vince? Why...why won't you talk to me?" Elena's voice questioned, sadder now.

"I...I'm sorry..." I heard myself murmur. "For...everything..." I sighed, forcing a small smile for her as I gazed at her. It appeared that she was satisfied with this reaction, as a smile came to her lips once more. "I'm...confused, though, Elena."

"I was waiting for you to say something like that, you know!" Elena admitted fondly, her head tilted to one side as her smile gained more love and warmth. "But...it's alright, so don't worry, ok?" Approaching me, she embraced me tightly, and I didn't hesitate for a second before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. As confusing as this situation was, at least embracing her was natural. Being so close to her...it just reminded me how much her death had hurt me. Trembling, I couldn't hold back my tears... "Sshh...don't cry, Vince..." she whispered kindly, stroking my hair gently as my tears flowed down my cheeks, dripping to her hair. "Smile, or something?"

"How...how can I _possibly _smile, Laney...?" I sobbed, holding her tighter...somewhere deep inside, I just knew that this would never be the same again. "I can't...I just can't...not now that I know we'll...we'll never be together again..." I paused, taking in a shaky breath. "I...I just want you back again, Elena...I...I just want to love you...but it can never be, now...everyone was always trying to stop us...I wanted to love you, but no-one will let me...all I ever wanted was to be by your side...just to be with you, always...I love you so much, Laney...why...why can't anyone understand that...? Why can't the planet understand...?"

Elena leant up, pressing her lips softly to mine, and whispering: "I...I am with you, Vince. I promise. It might not be the way you want, but I _am_ with you. I can't do anything for you physically, and I can't be by your side, but...but I can watch over you from afar. I can be something like a guardian angel, I guess." Tears filled those beautiful eyes as she spoke, and I reached out my hand to tenderly wipe them away. So...this...this separation was hurting her, too... "I can't be by your side, but...but I can be in your heart. You still have all of me there with you, Vince. That's the best I can do for you. I'm...sorry." she added quietly.

"I should be apologising...I failed to protec-..." Before I could finish, she had interrupted me by kissing me, and soon pulling away once again.

"Don't blame yourself, ok? Blame me. It's my fault you're here, feeling this, you know? I've...done all I can to help you for now, so I hope you're gonna be alright but...I don't know if it'll be enough. Whatever happens, remember that I love you, ok?"

"Help...?" What did she mean by 'help me'? Before I could get an answer from her, deafening gunshots filled the area, and I put my hands over my ears, shutting my eyes tightly. I refused to witness this again! I heard her screams of agony, the strong smell of spilt blood and the sound of her body falling to the ground. A strange, light-headed feeling came over me, and I found myself unable to move. However, upon awakening, I heard my voice screaming her name again and again...

* * *

"Vincent! Vincent!!" I heard her voice softly call.

"ELENA!"

"VINCENT!" she screamed, and my eyes shot open as I awoke in a cold sweat, my heart racing and my breathing heavy. Although my vision was somewhat blurry, I found that I was lying in a bed in a rather small, white room that I soon recognised as a hospital ward. Around me, there were several machines monitoring things such as heart rate, and so on...but those were not what I was looking for. I had heard her voice, but where was she...?

"'Lena...?" I called out weakly, my voice sounding so quiet and small. An awkward silence hit the room for a few moments, before a voice that I recognised as Reeve's replied gently:

"I...I'm sorry, friend..."

"Sorry...? But...I...I...spoke to her...I heard her as well...just now. I heard her just now..!" I tried to force myself to sit up in order to get a better view of the room, but I felt a sharp pain fill my body, the agony causing me to cry out in pain. "Where...where is she?! I want to see her...! Let me see her!" I felt myself be forced gently back down on to the bed, and my friend stood beside me, a look of melancholy and sadness about him. Clearing his throat and running his fingers through his thick, dark hair, he explained softly:

"You..cannot see her, Vincent. I, too wish that I could, but we...cannot."

"Why...?" I asked him, my voice sounding a little croaky and cracked from the shouting I had been doing. "Why...?"

"Do you not remember...? She has...returned to the planet.." he murmured, turning away and gazing up at the ceiling. Before he had turned, I had thought that I had spotted a tear glinting in his eye, although...it could have been a trick of the light. As well as this, my own view was rather obscured by tears and sweat... "In truth, it's amazing that you survived. You had lost so much blood due to your wounds being so heavy...we thought that we had lost you, too. It truly is a miracle.."

It was then that Elena's words from my dream returned to me:

_"Don't blame yourself, ok? Blame me. It's my fault you're here, feeling this, you know? I've...done all I can to help you for now, so I hope you're gonna be alright but...I don't know if it'll be enough. Whatever happens, remember that I love you, ok?"_

So this was what she had meant by 'help'...she had somehow managed to preserve my life..to save me...but yet, she had been unable to save herself... "Thank you, Elena..." I whispered softly to myself, looking over to my left to gaze out the window. Perhaps it was my mind playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn that I saw the faint outline of her figure slowly walking away...

I left the hospital soon after I had fully recovered, and now I sit here in the room of the Nibelheim inn, where I have always been since the day I met you, Elena. Our room. Here, I spend my days remembering our experiences and emotions, and I thank you for the day that you came here...I owe my happiness to you. Some days, I sit by the window much like I had on the night that we had met, admiring the full moon in the sky and watching our for you, for I know that you are there somewhere. Some days, I feel that you are here, beside me...those are the happiest of these days that I spend in solitude with only my thoughts of you --and you only-- to keep me company. I just wish that our plans had worked out...that we could be happy together, but I suppose that we were just never meant to be, my love...for you now reside in the Lifestream. All of my thoughts, feelings...and all of these days I spend alone have only one thing in common: no matter where I go, what I do, what I am thinking or how I feel, I hold you and your words close to my heart.

"I love you, my darling, and I know that you love me, my...guardian angel...and that love won't fade. Not whilst you are still by my side, watching over me...for I know one thing for certain: In my heart, I...still have all of you..."

Those memories, kisses, embraces...and the happy times that we shared...I shall cherish them...and they shall never be forgotten.

"Even in sadness, I am the happiest man alive..because I have you..."


	30. An Alternate End To This Tragic Tale

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**

Alrighty! As promised, here's an alternative ending for you all! I thought I was a bit unfair to poor Vince by making him suffer so much in the proper ending, so think of this as a similar thing to a kind of 'deleted scene' extra feature you'd find on a DVD. This ending takes place in Vincent's perspective, and replaces the second part of chapter 28, just in case you were wondering where to start reading from. It follows immediately after the statement of: 'He would pay dearly for this...he would suffer...I would make sure of that...', just where the horizontal dividing line is.

**If you liked the other ending, then you don't have to read this if you don't want to, and I'll leave it up to you to decide which one of the endings this story should use. Okay, so without further ado, let's get started, hm?**

**Hope you like it!**

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"You bastard..." I heard myself hiss with rage, feeling my blood boil as the hatred within me built up higher and higher, never stopping. I gasped in agony, as yet another sharp pain almost seemed to rip my body apart as I collapsed to my knees, bent over, clutching that repulsive wretch's blood-drenched rapier within the grasp of my right hand. Hatred reeled out of control, and madness overtook me...and I have a feeling that you are aware of what happens when the madness within surfaces.

I don't remember much of what happened next...and even if I did remember, then it was far too horrifying and confusing to even begin to describe. When Chaos takes over with such seething hatred as he and I shared in that moment, things happen. Things beyond words that occur too quickly for my mind to comprehend...but all I can say is: whatever happened that night was called for, if not deserved. Chaos' rage only calmed down by a fraction by the time that all the soldiers lay dead, mutilated on the ground, the once green grass transformed to a crimson field, glinting sinisterly under the full moon. Bernard Dylan had also fallen, but was not yet dead, lying cold and pale alongside the rest of his loyal, dispicable followers. Garnet, leathery wings folded themselves in, and I felt my body become tense as I grasped the sword tightly within my clawed hands. Now was really the time to make him suffer, and show him how much I would make him pay for so much as daring to scratch my beautiful 'doll'...

I approached the man, his cowardly side showing now that he was unarmed. His fear smelt delicious, and I savoured every second of it as I came closer. He forced himself to shuffle away, trying to run...trying to escape, but I wouldn't let him. Not now, and not ever. I wanted this fool out of mine and Elena's lives forever! My grip tightened on the handle of the bloody sword, and with one quick thrust of my arm, I had pierced his heart. His agonised screams for mercy died down quickly, the body soon following. I left him there that night, lying murdered beneath the cold eyes of the merciless full moon within the sea of blood, bodies and gore, his sword protruding from his chest like some grotesque monument, casting a vulgar silhouette over the gore-stained grass. And if that 'monument' were to represent anything, it would be the fact that: no matter who you are, I will make you pay with your life if you so much as touch Elena...

Chaos had seen her, and was watching Elena slowly die, an odd smirk on his face. How could he possibly enjoy watching the one I loved...no...the one _we _loved suffering so much? She must be in so much pain...

_Perhaps I should put her out of that misery..._ growled a voice from outside of where I lay dormant within Chaos. Could he...really be considering that...? I felt my left hand tense as I slowly made my way over to Elena. I knew Chaos' plan...I knew it, and I also knew that I had to stop it. I would not be the one to murder her! 'STOP!' My mind screamed out to his, but the beast ignored me. He soon crouched by Elena's side, his leathery wings unfolding and stretching out as he slowly and gently lifted her into his arms, gazing up at the star-filled sky above. What was he doing? I thought he wished to 'end her misery'?

"Just a little longer..." his strange growl promised as he held the delicate female gently yet firmly within his grasp. He was injured too, and this was causing him utter agony, but he wasn't showing it. Either he didn't notice the pain, or he was willing to make this sacrifice for her sake. "You..._will _be saved..." Time was our enemy on this unfortunate night, and there was none to lose. Without further hesitation, Chaos took to the sky, his wings causing him pain each time he flapped them...but he didn't care. The destination would be reached soon enough.

We fell from the sky ungracefully, Chaos collapsing outside, a bloody mess. This was when I took over...and my body was wracked with agony when I did. I couldn't even move the pain was so severe...I just grasped Elena tightly, holding her to me, never, ever wanting to let her go.

"Vin...cent..." she gasped weakly, her hand reaching up to touch my cheek as she rested helplessly in my arms. If I didn't do something soon, I would lose her forever. She had no more strength. We had been so close to living a normal life...so close...too close...but it had all been stolen away at the last second. I couldn't help but cry...cry like a child as those beautiful honey-coloured eyes slid closed.

"Hold...on..." I begged her, trying to force my body to move, but I failed. I felt weakness taking over, and a heavy fog masking my eyes."Why...? Why did it have to be _you_?!" I demanded with the last of my strength, the darkness grasping me and take pulling me away from consciousness, and possibly even away from life. "Please...open your eyes! I...I love you! Please!" I received no response...her eyes remained closed, her head tilted to one side as her white-blonde hair fell across her face. Blood trickled from between her lips, and seeped from her wounds. I had failed her, and I knew it, and yet...there was nothing more I could do about it. "I'm...sorry...Elena..." I whispered, as my eyes slowly closed. It was over...it was all over now...

* * *

I was surprised to feel my eyes open once again. I had been granted another chance at life...? I had been allowed to live on even after I had failed her so miserably? A pang of guilt pained me even more than my wounds ever could as I thought back to how I had let Elena die so soon...she was so young, and yet she had died in such a tragic way. "She's...gone...it's all...my fault..." I murmured softly to myself, sighing as my gaze wandered over to the other side of the room.

"Only the _good_...die young...Valentine..." a gentle, yet weak voice teased in response to me. I knew that voice! My eyes shot wide open, and I almost opened up some of my old wounds by sitting up so fast, only to feel myself fall back to the hospital bed, gasping in pain as it felt as though someone was stabbing me again and again. That feeling slowly ebbed away, though, as the person who had answered me had gained my complete attention. The young blonde smiled at me, her honey-coloured eyes fondly watching as my gaze was fixed only on her.

"Y-...you're...! H-...how did...?" I began to stammer. How in the world had she survived? No, what was I thinking? That wasn't even important...what mattered was that she had survived. I would be able to see her...feel her...be with her and hear her voice as often as I wanted, and nobody would ever get in our way again. Ever. When we left this hospital behind, I would take her away...I would take her somewhere where we could be safe, and where we would be free forever. We could finally be happy. I wouldn't have to live in fear of losing her any more. A smile came to my lips as I remembered something that I hadn't technically gotten a proper answer for, even though I had asked. "'Lena..." I began, feeling happier with every second that passed. I was just so relieved that she was alright. This time, I would have no hesitation when asking. Hesitation only wastes time, and the time that I have with her is precious. I had learnt that lesson well from all we had been through. "...Marry me?" I waited for her response in silence, somewhat nervous, but pushing that feeling aside.

For the first time in a long while, I heard her laughing, even if the laugh was a weak one. Those wonderful honey-coloured eyes met mine, and she nodded once. "Yes." I had remembered how much she had wanted to say yes...I remembered that she had told me after she had been attacked, and now hearing her say it was the best feeling in the world...it helped me to block out the dull pains and aches that my healing wounds were causing me after our experience. It really had been too close...we could easily have died that night, but we were lucky enough to survive.

But that didn't matter anymore...what mattered now was getting out of hospital and beginning a new life alongside her.

I just couldn't wait to sleep by her side once again, knowing that I would wake up in the morning to find her there.

And judging by what I've read in her diary, she felt the same way...

**Ok, there's your alternate ending. I hoped you liked it! I might change it here and there when/if I tweak the story. **

**The 'diary' bit at the end is referring to Elena's chapters of the story. I wasn't sure where to add this in, but it goes like this:**

**Vince - Narrator of the story, telling whoever is listening (Reeve, or Tseng, or someone...or you guys! You decide.)**

**Elena - Recording the events in her diary. I originally was going to have it so that Tseng or Reeve found her diary and discovered that she was dead by talking to Vincent and hearing his side of the story, therefore finding out about Bernard Dylan but I wasn't sure how to make it all come together like this. Anyway! I hope you enjoyed that story! Remember to review! **


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